Four passengers were killed and nine were injured in a tragic train accident in Mumbai on June 9. Near Mumbra railway station, 13 people fell from overcrowded local trains. In protest against the railway administration over this tragic accident, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) launched a rally on June 10. They are demanding urgent safety measures and the removal of platform stalls that lead to chaotic congestion. MNS Thane District President Avinash Jadhav led this protest rally. The MNS workers marched from Gaondevi to Thane railway station. They said that the railway authorities have a ‘negligent and insensitive’ attitude. Police officials were present on the spot to avoid any law and order disruption.
MNS workers were sloganeering, holding placards that read: 'Daily deaths, who’s responsible?', 'Administration is numb, government is blind,' and 'Give justice to the dead, punish the guilty.' The protestors were enraged over recurring tragedies on the suburban railway network. Train accidents claimed the lives of 51,802 people in the last 20 years. Of the 51,802 deaths, 29,321 occurred on the Central Railway (CR) and 22,481 on the Western Railway (WR). Borivli, Thane, Kalyan, and Vasai were the four stations with the most fatalities.
Also Read: Mumbai’s Local Train Tragedy: 5 Dead Today, Over 51,000 Lives Lost in 20 Years
The political party underlined that the curve near the Mumbra station, where the fatal accident happened, was marked as dangerous by an MNS worker from Titwala three months ago. The worker who highlighted the curve had lost his leg in a similar train accident. Jadhav accused the railway administration of criminal negligence, saying that "no action was taken despite repeated warnings," as reported by Loksatta. "Remove stalls from railway platforms within eight days or we will take action ourselves," MNS said sharply during the rally. Food and newspaper vendors on platforms, according to Jadhav, significantly impede passenger flow, resulting in crowds and hazardous boarding circumstances. He questioned, "Do we need seating arrangements for the elderly and the disabled, or do we need stalls on already crowded platforms?"
MNS called for an upgrade of the infrastructure and crowd control, requesting that station restrooms be kept clean, that commuters have enough amenities, and that crowd control measures be implemented during peak hours.
An ultimatum from Avinash Jadhav to the administration over platform stalls:"In the hopes of returning home to their families, commuters purchase return tickets each morning. However, given the current scenario, there is no assurance of a return. For the sake of commuting, why should someone endanger their life? People won't be sure they'll return, therefore they won't purchase return tickets if this keeps up," he said.
"We know how to escalate this further if the administration does not remove stalls and improve safety. The railway system cannot continue to let the public down daily," he said in closing, issuing a firm decree.