Thane: Indefinite Hunger Strike Over Crime, Poor Infrastructure Near Kalyan Railway Station Enters 11th Day

Social activist Rani (Kalpana) Dilip Kapote has entered the sixth day of her indefinite hunger strike, demanding urgent action on the dire state of Kalyan Railway Station and surrounding areas. Her protest, launched on May 31 — the 300th birth anniversary of Rajmata Ahilyadevi Holkar — highlights rampant prostitution, drug trafficking (including MD powder and ganja), illegal gambling, worsening sanitation, traffic congestion, and stalled civic projects. Kapote is holding her fast at the KDMC’s late Dilip Kapote pay-and-park site, symbolically chosen to draw attention to persistent flooding there for the past two years.

Kapote, a long-time resident and activist, says that despite consistent follow-ups with the administration, major issues like knee-deep stagnant water near Kalyan Tehsil and Court remain unresolved. She noted that while drain repair work has recently begun, it is proceeding at a frustratingly slow pace. She has demanded the rapid completion of this and other development works to prevent further traffic chaos and improve public health and hygiene.

Key among her demands is the overhaul of Kalyan railway station’s crumbling platforms, broken tiles, damaged metal sheds, and incomplete sanitation work. She has also called for installation of large-scale CCTV surveillance every 100 feet on the skywalk and across the railway precinct, along with live monitoring by police and traffic departments. The aim is to bring accountability, transparency, and security to the area, which residents say has been neglected for far too long.

Kapote and her supporters hope that these long-pending civic and safety issues will now finally be addressed by the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and the state government.