Disaster waiting to happen by the tracks

Dilapidated buildings along the railway tracks near Sandhurst Road railway station have become a cause for worry for the Central Railway (CR) as it poses an imminent danger to the lives of railway commuters. The stone wall supporting the slope on the side of Sandhurst Road station has developed cracks and is in danger of collapsing. These buildings are just a few metres from the railway tracks and have created problems in past, too. The CR has been writing to the BMC to repair and redevelop these buildings, but the BMC has been unable to find a permanent solution. Activist Sulaiman Bhimani, who has been following up this matter, has written a letter to all the concerned authorities and has asked them to take immediate action to prevent a possible disaster. In a complaint letter written to various authorities, including the minister of railways, chief minister, municipal commissioner and others, Mr Bhimani says, “Several unauthorised structures threaten to fall down onto the railway tracks, running only a few feet away, which is most likely to result in a landslide on the tracks.” In light of the building collapse at Dockyard Road, which is in the vicinity of Sandhurst Road, Mr Bhimani also appealed to the authorities to do whatever is necessary to avoid chaos and destruction that may be caused due to a building collapse or landslide on a running train during peak hours. Earlier, on August 1, 2008 a portion of the same 25-foot-high boundary wall developed huge cracks at Sandhurst Road station and CR officials had to close a section of the tracks for repairs. Railway officials had warned BMC about unauthorised construction activity on the weakened wall. After a thorough inspection, it was also noticed that construction work was being carried out adjacent to the railway boundary area without informing the railway authorities or seeking prior permission as per the rule. “We have been very careful about this wall and adjacent buildings and have been writing several letter to the BMC since 2007. After getting complaints, we are going to write once more,” said A.K. Singh, PRO, CR.