Cops write to railway on Vasai collapse

The Manikpur police has written a letter to the railways seeking information on who had inspected the Vasai drainage cover — that collapsed on May 31— as it wanted to register an FIR regarding the same.

The letter was written as the drainage slab had collapsed near the FOB at Vasai railway station bridge on May 31. In the incident, at least 15 passengers waiting for the train fell in a drain and suffered injuries outside the Vasai railway station, when the drain slab caved in. Following the incident on June 3, the Manikpur police station wrote the letter seeking documents, and other reports on the drainage.

In the letter, the copy of which is with this newspaper, the police wrote that in the accident commuters were badly hurt, so the contractor, labourers, and the one who maintained the construction were held responsible.

“In connection with the case, a Vasai resident Ashok Verma had lodged a complaint on June 1, asking the police to investigate the case, so we need information regarding the construction,” the letter stated.

In the letter, the police has asked the name and address of the official, who took the decision to make a staircase for entering the platform. The letter also demands to know if the railway had obtained any report or studied the viability, technicality and feasibility of the passage that was being used by the public. Through the letter, the cops have also enquired if the railway paid any compensation to the victims.

On the day of the incident, trains were running late during the peak hours; so the weight of the crowd was too much for the concrete floor to bear and thus, it collapsed, and people who were standing on it fell into the drain below.

Before the accident, many commuters were waiting for their train as three trains going towards Churchgate and Virar were cancelled owing to a derailment at Lower Parel station.