CR to construct 41-km wall to curb trespassing

MUMBAI: To control trespassing on its suburban railway tracks, the Central Railway (CR) has begun constructing a 41-km boundary wall, along its tracks.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP) and railway officials have identified 139 locations that witness maximum number of trespassing incidents daily, along which the 2.7-metre-tall wall is being constructed.

The locations include railway tracks between Dadar-matunga, Kurla-vidyavihar, Thanekalwa, Wadala-gtb Nagar, Gtbchunabhatti, sections between Kalyan and Badlapur, Govandi station, Kurla-tilak Nagar section, Bhandup-nahur, and Divakopar stations.

“The boundary wall is expected to be completed by March 31. A 41-km wall will be constructed, of which, 7-kms has been completed. The work is on-going,” said Sunil Udasi, chief public relation officer, CR.

Officials said that the cost of the project is approximately ₹35 crore.

The decision to construct a wall was taken after union railway minister Piyush Goyal, in a meeting with railway officials and senior officers of GRP on December 13, 2018, directed officials to control trespassing on the suburban railway tracks.

The railways also identified fatality spots on its tracks. Apart from the Thane and Kalwa sections, railway officials said there has been a substantial increase in the number of fatalities between Kalyan and Badlapur stations.

“While trespassing occurs on many locations, deaths across the tracks occur in specific areas. Trespassing between Wadalagtb Nagar and GTB Nagarchunabhatti is maximum, but the deaths due to trespassing there is minimal, as compared to the Thane-kalwa section. As the shift of population is towards the north, there has been an increase in deaths due to trespassing and deaths on tracks between Kalyan and Badlapur,” said a senior CR official.

Passenger associations have welcomed the move, but asked the railways to use good quality raw materials. “The walls which were constructed earlier were of stone which the trespassers and those residing along the tracks broke frequently. This is a positive move,” said Subhash Gupta, president, Rail Yatri Parishad.