Central Railway passengers will soon enjoy the sight of beautified surroundings at railway stations. The Mumbai division of the Central Railway (CR) has invited expressions of interest (EoI) for the beautification of railway lands by NGOs, social organisations, and corporates.
The agencies can plant ornamental and other plants on land parcels and will also be provided with space for their names. The bids will open on July 8 and a pre-bid meeting is scheduled for July 5.
Over 100 locations in the Mumbai division have already been identified for the implementation under the first phase. Confirming the development, a CR senior official said, “EoI has been invited from individuals, NGOs, trusts, charitable institutions, corporates, government bodies, and self-help groups to participate in developing the vacant railway area into an environmentally friendly area. This scheme through the participation of people is called Jan Bhagidari.”
He added that as stations and their approaches are visited and seen by lakhs of passengers, it is expected that many parties will be interested in this environmentally friendly project. He said this will also prevent encroachment on railway land.
An official said, “The sight of garbage and overflowing drains along railway tracks adds to the woes of passengers. Besides being aneyesore, it is a health and safety hazard.” This garbage is generally dumped by people who live in slums close to the tracks. Though the CR has erected stone masonry and RCC boundary almost parallel to tracks right from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Thane and CSMT to Mankhurd, garbage dumping is rampant.
The boundary wall is frequently damaged by littering the tracks. The muck is also generated by railways’ maintenance of tracks like deep screening and shallow screening of track ballast, said the officer. Besides slum dwellers, passengers also contribute to littering by throwing empty packets of food items, tea cups and water bottles. It is a herculean task for railways to collect and dispose of this garbage, an official said.
