Report...

The report states, “The failure of the ROB pathway was contributed by the additional load of various cables, sand, paver blocks and etc. provided by Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) without prior permission from Western Railways. The additional loads were not considered at the time of the original design. There was heavy corrosion and pitting of the cantilever steel brackets supporting the pathway resulting in thinning down of section and failure of the pathway ROB.”

HT had earlier reported that during the post-collapse inspection of Gokhale Bridge, railway authorities had stated that additional load created by cables and paver blocks are among the reasons behind the collapse. Chandra has recommended the railways and MCGM sign an MOU which would in principle state the responsibility of particular authorities for the ROBS.

“There has always been a conflict over responsibility for the ROB. I have recommended that a MOU be signed, specifying the area and roles of both agencies. Further, modern technology and better equipment, apart from manual inspection of the ROBS, should be carried out,” said Chandra.

With the CRS holding WR largely responsible for the collapse of Gokhale bridge, someone in WR is likely to penalised for the oversight that led to the incident. “The final report will state which department is responsible for the failure. Once the report is prepared, a senior railway official will be transferred. The same happened when a bridge collapsed in Ahmedabad in 2015,” said a senior railway board official who requested anonymity.

“The report has arrived but I have not seen it. After seeing the report, we will be giving our comments and then the final report will be prepared,” said AK Gupta, general manager, WR. The final report will be submitted to the Railway Board and the Ministry of Railways within two to three months. board and platform,” said Prasad Pandhare, senior police inspector of Dadar (GRP). A case of accidental death has been registered. HT tried to contact the Embassy of South Sudan in New Delhi by phone and email, but received no response. On July 12, Abdallah was taken to Sion Hospital. Her sister, Dr Hara Mustafa, and family friends flew down to Mumbai, only to learn that back home in the South Sudanese capital of Juba, Abdallah’s father had died on July 15.

From July 16, Abdallah’s condition became critical. “One of her legs was amputated above the knee and the other, slightly below. There was also a bladder puncture injury. She was on ventilator with fluctuating vitals, blood pressure and underwent several surgeries for her multiple organ injuries,” said Dr Jayashree Mondkar, Dean, Sion Hospital adding that her condition was critical since Monday. On Wednesday morning, Abdallah passed away. Abdallah was cremated at Chandanwadi crematorium on Wednesday evening. “After her death, the family enquired about the cost of taking her to South Sudan and when they realised it’s over ₹2-3 lakh, they decided to cremate her in Mumbai,” said Sagar Patil, senior clerk at RBIT. According to Patil, the institute has spent over Rs 1,09,000 over Abdallah’s treatment and to help her family. Two officials spent six days in Mumbai to help Mustafa, who is six months pregnant. Aside from hospital formalities, she had trouble finding accommodation because hotels turned the South Sudanese away.

“She [Abdallah] was our student so we have no qualms about taking care of her financially and otherwise. But her father died on July 15 after hearing about the incident and her mother isn’t well. She was accompanied by her pregnant sister. A helping hand by the embassy could’ve comforted them,” Patil said.

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal asked Central Railway (CR) to look into the incident. The investigating team has reported the platform and the station design are in good condition. “The girl tried to get down from a running train which could be the reason of her falling in between the tracks,” said a CR official. bouring states after 2016-17 or smuggling of liquor from these states into Bihar, which explains the disproportionate rise in excise revenues.

Anecdotal evidence on reports of alcohol being sold illegally in Bihar suggests that the latter possibility cannot be ruled out.

This, if true, would also mean that prohibition has only led to the loss of revenue and not the bottle in Bihar.