Mumbai: The first day of the work week began exactly like the preceding three days. Mumbaikars woke up to ominous skies and rain on Monday. The incessant rainfall since Sunday night caused the country's financial capital to almost come to a halt on Monday morning.
With severe waterlogging on the roads, vehicular traffic slowed down. In the western suburbs, railway tracks were submerged in water, adversely affecting services. There was waterlogging between Jogeshwari and Andheri, Khar Road and Matunga Road and morning trains to Palghar were cancelled.
As many as 62 trains were cancelled on the western line, whilst the long distance trains were managed by clamping the tracks. The average delay in services was 15-30 minutes. While restoration was in progress, there was chaos on platforms due to overcrowding. “The monsoon has barely begun and there is chaos already. What will happen in the coming months?” questioned Anand Waingankar, a banker who commutes daily from Kandivli to Santacruz.
Though station roofs were repaired prior to the arrival of monsoon, on the platforms of Malad, Andheri and Dadar, water gushed in through openings, causing further distress to the commuters. The leakage also led to malfunctioning of the indicators on the stations, adding to the confusion. “There is hardly any place to stand on the platform. First there is water falling from the roof and then there is debris from construction work,” complained Namrata Jalan, a lawyer who travels from Andheri to Dadar every day.
At Marine Lines station, temporary netting tied to scaffolding for repairs fell on the overhead equipment (OHE) wires, thus affecting the movement of trains on the slow lines, Up and Down, from 7 am in the morning. Services were restored four hours later, around 11am. In the meanwhile, slow trains were diverted to the fast track between Marine Lines and Churchgate.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) was deployed at suburban stations to maintain order and ensure the smooth flow of passengers on foot overbridges and staircases. Senior RPF officials and personnel were on surveillance duty at the 29 suburban stations of Western Railway.
Waterlogged Areas in mumbai
Sion Road no 24, Vallabh Road, Hindmata Cinema, Gandhi Market, Pratiksha Nagar, Sundar Vihar, Pratiksha Nagar, Sangam Nagar, Agarwadi Telecom Factory, RCF Colony, National Colony, Chetah Camp
