Stampede at Elphinstone station which killed several commuters during office rush hours comes as a shock. The sad event infact was waiting to happen due to poor infrastructure at the local railway station in question as a single small bridge caters to commuters at an important strategic local station which connects both Central and Western Railway. Elphinstone overhead bridge is always very crowded even during non-peak hours and stampede of this nature is expected during rush hours when both Western and Central trains arrive simultaneously.
Mumbai local railway is a neglected lot and even the basic foot overbrigde and rooftop are missing at many stations. Railway Minister Piyush Goel who is also happens to be from Mumbai should look into the irregularities and make life safe as well as comfortable for commuters. Railways miss no chance to raise fares at every possible opportunity but give a Nelson’s Eye to passenger’s safety. Hope the shocking incident at Elphinstone which proved fatal for many would open the eyes of the authorities to improve infrastructure in the days to come.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
