A month after a massive stampede on a Foot-Over-Bridge (FOB) at Elphinstone Road Railway station claimed lives of 23 commuters, Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday that the Indian Army would help the Railways build three new FOBs — one each at Elphinstone Road, Currey Road, both in Mumbai, and at Ambivali and neighbouring Thane district by January 31, 2018.
In an announcement made after visiting the Elhphinstone Road station along with Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Sitharaman said that the Army and its construction wing Military Engineer Services (MES) had happily agreed to undertake the work of construction of three bridges, as part of its role in the nation building. “Whenever a disaster takes place, the Army reaches the site immediately and provides relief in a perfect and professional manner. This will probably be for the first time that the Army is coming in to build bridges what is otherwise essentially a civil work. But, the tragedy at the Elphinstone Road was such a big one considering that it happened in Maharashtra, particularly Mumbai, which gives jobs to so many people from all over the country and the city is constantly under civic stress, I had requested the Army if it can undertake the work without affecting its other work relating to preparedness for all emergencies and exigencies... It was so nice of the Army chief and MES to come back to me to say that they have also a role to play in nation building and that they would be happy to participate in this,” Sitharaman said.
The Minister said that she had taken up with the Army chief the issue of building the new bridge at Elphinstone Road, after receiving a letter from Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shellar requesting her if the Army could assist the Railways and the Maharashtra Government in building a new bridge at the Elphinstone railway station. “After my request to the Army chief, the Army and MES teams visited the station and completed the feasibility surveys at three railway stations in 20 days. It was after that I took after that I took up the matter with the Railway Minister and explained him as to how we planned to go about the whole thing," she said.
Replying to a question, Sitharaman said: “The Army has come seen, inspected and assessed as to where the three bridges ( Elphinstone Road, Currey Road and Ambivli) are to be built and where it is going to land. So, at every stage of construction of these bridges, the Army will be there”.
On September 29, 2017, 23 commuters were killed and at least 38 others injured in a stampede that took place on a narrow FoB connecting the Parel and Elphinstone Railway stations. Speaking on the occasion, CM Fadnavis expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Defence for readily agreeing to help out the State Government and Railways in the construction of an FOB in not just Elphinstone Road Railway station, but also at the Currey Road and Ambivli Railway stations. Thanking the Defence Minister, Goyal said: “The senior-most officials of the Central and Western Railway along with the Army officials identified the places where the three new railway bridges are to be built on a war-footing. The three new FOBs are to be built – where there is heavy foot fall --- are at Elphinstone Road, Currey Road and Ambivli. I thank the defence minister and Army officials for having agreed to accept the bridge construction work as part of their nation building mission. All the three new bridges will be ready for public use by January 31, 2018”.
The proposed new bridge is to be constructed between the northern FOB of Parel railway station leading to flower market situated at Elphinstone Road side. The new bridge to be constructed by the Army will be in addition to the 12 metre wide Railway bridge for which contract will be awarded soon and work will be commenced in November. The work for the new additional bridge will be undertaken in parallel to the bridge being constructed by the Army.
The Railways would extend all support in terms of logistics and blocks to the Army to complete construction of 3 new FOBs by Jan 31, 2018, said Goyal.
“The Railways is grateful to the Defence Ministry for coming forward in this need of hour, especially, at a time when the Railways is reeling under the pressure to accelerate the various developmental projects pertaining to Mumbai suburban projects to bridge the gap between the existing & desired infrastructure,” Goyal said, in a statement issued by the Western Railways later in the evening
The Railways is leaving no stone unturned to fasten the completion of various infrastructural projects such as construction of new bridges, widening of approach roads, raising platform heights, provision of escalators on war footing and complete them within the earliest possible time frame.
Ashwani lohani, Chairman - Railway Board, A K Gupta, General Manager, Western Railway and D K Sharma General Manager of Central Railway were also present on the occasion.