WR to thrash out squatter problem

NOVEMBER 19: A solution to the slum encroachment conundrum, that has stifled railway expansion plans since the last few years, now seems ...

NOVEMBER 19: A solution to the slum encroachment conundrum, that has stifled railway expansion plans since the last few years, now seems in sight with talks progressing between the railway administration and the state government.

8220;We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, rehabilitation of slums along the railway tracks was the biggest problem and is now close to being sorted out,8221; said Western Railway General Manager Vasudev Gupta, who said the state government is 8220;likely to agree8221; to bearing the cost of rehabilitation within a fortnight.

The GM was addressing the media in connection with the centenary celebrations of the Western Railway building headquarters and the Centenary Odyssey 2000 exhibition being organised at Churchgate to commemorate it.

General managers of both the western and central railway and the chairman of the railway board have held a series of discussions over the rehabilitation issue with state chief secretary Arun Bongirwar. The chief secretary had responded favourably,Gupta said.

As per an agreement between the state government and the railway administration around five years ago, the two would jointly share the cost of projects handled outside the World Bank loan. The WR on its part, has thus far spent Rs 150 crore on various expansion programmes like the fifth corridoor between Andheri and Borivli.

8220;We shall ask the state government to spend its share of Rs 150 crore on the rehabilitation of slums which are in the way of crucial projects like the fifth corridoor,8221; said Gupta. The first phase of this corridoor, to be completed by June 2000, was in a critical phase and could not be delayed on account of the 1,500 hutments that continued to remain in its path.

The agreement would be significant since once the mechanism is set up, it could be used for other projects on both suburban sections as well, he said.

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According to Gupta, the stumbling block all these years was who would fund the cost of rehabilitating hutments if the crucial World Bank loan for the MumbaiUrban Transport Project-II MUTP-II did not come through in time. The World Bank is to give an estimated Rs 3,900 crore for MUTP-II. Hinging on this loan is a Rs 700-crore component for the rehabilitation of an estimated 30,000 slum-dwellers likely to be affected by the lateral expansion of the railway corridors.

Speaking about the Centenary Odyssey 2000 being organised at the Cross Maidan at Churchgate to commemorate the heritage building completing a century, Gupta said it aimed at opening a dialogue between the railways and the corporate sector to deliver high quality services in the coming milennium. The exhibition, which will be held from December 20 to January 10, would inform the public about the technological advancements made by the WR and its plans for the future, Gupta said.