JOIN USThe proposal to extend the subway from Platform 1 at the City Railway Station has been junked, revealed a response to an RTI application, where the South Western Railway (SWR) authorities have replied that the work has been deleted from the list of projects.
This has come as a disappointment for passengers, as the extension of the subway could have prevented people from walking past a clogged drain near the main entrance.
The applicant, Sanjeev Dyamannavar, said that the proposal was long pending. As the station is expanding, multiple entries are required to avoid rush at one point, he said. On the contrary, SWR officials state that the proposal has been junked after a survey revealed that the extension was not feasible.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Anil K Aggarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, said: “Another reason is that after the recent railway tragedies, it has been decided to restrict the number of entries and exits to only one for security reasons.”
The RTI information also reveals that a contract was awarded to construct a foot-over-bridge (FOB) of 135 m between platforms 1 and 10 by January 15, this year.
However, there is no sign of an FOB providing the link for all platforms. When asked about this, Aggarwal said, “The contract was awarded some time back, but the design could not be approved due to some technical problems. The contractor in charge has submitted a final design, which has been approved and the work will commence soon. The work is most likely to be completed in next six months”, he added.
Similarly, work pertaining to the extension of an existing FOB from platform 10 to MG Colony could not take off even as tenders were called and awarded subsequently. The date of completion for this work was January 4, 2014, reveals the RTI response.