Raj Thackeray on Mumbai Local Train Accident: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray expressed strong anger over the recent deadly train accident near Mumbra station on the Central Railway line. The accident occurred Monday morning when 13 passengers fell onto the tracks. Four people died. The crash happened as one local train passed another crowded train. Many passengers were hanging on the doors when they were struck. Speaking at a press conference in Pune, MNS chief said accidents happen every day on Mumbai’s railways. There is not a single day without an accident. He added that the condition of the city must be looked into. The entire city is in chaos. Tall buildings are constructed under the name of redevelopment but there are no proper roads. Due to this, there is no parking, and it leads to traffic jams. If a fire breaks out, even fire trucks cannot reach the spot. There is no such thing as city planning in our country, he said.
He further added that the burden on the cities is due to the uncontrolled arrival of people from outside. "This is the reason railways have collapsed," he said. "No one knows who is entering or leaving the city. Metro and monorail will not solve the problem. Did the registration of vehicles stop after metro and monorail services started? Who is using them? No one is ready to find out. All leaders are busy in elections and campaigns. No one is ready to treat cities seriously," he said.
He criticised politicians, saying they only focus on elections. "When it comes to cities, the media also does not give it importance. For many days, the news was about Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray. Now will you give this railway accident the same coverage? I do not understand why this is not given importance. I believe the central government must pay attention to all these issues,” he added.
Speaking about the railway crowd, he said, “If you see the daily rush at platforms, people crowd inside the train compartments and at the doors. I have travelled by train myself. The population has not suddenly increased. The government knows about the crowd in Mumbai. So what is the railway minister doing? Instead of demanding the railway minister’s resignation, he should visit and see the situation for himself.” Thackeray warned, “If doors are fitted on the local trains, people will suffocate inside. The crowd in trains is unimaginable. There should be one door for people to enter and another to exit, but there is nothing. Everything is chaos.”
He added, “Human life is not valued in our country. The government must urgently pay attention after this accident. If such an incident had happened abroad, how would they respond? All our ministers visit foreign countries but what do they bring back? Not the railway system but at least the mindset. This is all frustrating," he said.