Just a few days of pre-monsoon showers have exposed the poor infrastructure of Mumbai’s lifeline, with none to leaky roofs causing inconvenience to commuters. Many Mumbaikars travelling via Ghatkopar railway station described it as a “death trap”.

Thanks to the ongoing work to upgrade the Ghatkopar station, there are piles of debris on the platforms, which are uneven and have become the new host to the city’s infamous potholes. With full-on rainfall expected soon, the station lacks proper roofs to keep the travellers dry. While some parts of the station don’t even have a shade, others are covered partially with chipped roofing sheets, which leaks, complained commuters.

“Work can continue with minimal disturbance, but the authorities have made a mess of everything, and the current situation will be dangerous in the monsoon season,” Ashok Aheaya, a commuter, said.

The roofless platform No. 5 of Dombivli railway station; Broken roofing sheets partially cover a platform at Ghatkopar railway station Pic/Vruddhi Patel

“The authorities are waiting for an accident to happen at Ghatkopar station. An iron plate and potholes at the platforms pose a serious threat to commuters’ lives. The exit is another mess, with stones strewn everywhere. This has been the situation for the past six months and there has been no improvement,” Rahul Pawar, another commuter, said.

Commuter Jainam Shah said the railways had turned the station into hell. “The Ghatkopar station is a death trap! When it rains, the roofs and random openings leak. With heavy rainfall, our lives will be even more miserable.”

While the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation is upgrading the station with an elevated deck, Central Railway (CR) is building a new roof, for which foundations are being dug up.

Debris everywhere

Not just Ghatkopar, debris from the upgrade work is lying unattended at other stations, too. At some stations, barricading at platforms has left little to no space for safe passage of commuters.

Besides Ghatkopar, such scenes can be seen at Thane, Mulund and Byculla. “Quick disposal of debris from the area of work should be another criterion for projects in crowded areas like stations and platforms,” Nandita Jani, another commuter, said.

No shelter at Dombivli stn

Commuters at Dombivli said that since the railways changed the coach numbering, trains now halt at the extreme end of the platform, which has no roof. “The monsoon is here, but there is no roof at Dombivli station,” commuter Vruddhi Patel said.

The station also has a platform height issue. “Most of the platforms are still not commuter-friendly. The authorities should have inspected the platforms before making the changes,” Ravikant Sinha, another commuter, said.

Railway authorities have promised to would look into the matter and fix all the lacunae. “We are on the job and all the work will be completed in a time-bound manner effectively,” an official said. 

“Ghatkopar and Dombivli station have roofs as per the norms and the ongoing work is temporary for the betterment of the stations,” CR Chief Public Relations Officer Dr Shivraj Manaspure said.

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