Now part of FOB near Charni Road station collapses, senior citizen injured
The Charni Road incident took place a day after a woman was injured due to a falling tile at Elphinstone Road station (Picture Courtesy: Sudesh Naik)
After a series of mishaps at Elphinstone Road station, a senior citizen was injured on Saturday after a part of the foot-over bridge (FOB) at Charni Road station collapsed on Saturday.
The incident took place around 8:30 pm at the FOB running parallel to the platform at Charni Road station.
According to officials, 67-year-old D. Rao sustained minor injuries on his left arm after the stairs of the FOB collapsed. He was subsequently rushed to Saifee Hospital, where he received treatment. His condition is now stable.
Municipal staff, along with railway staffers, rushed to the spot immediately after the mishap and shut access to the FOB.
The bridge, among Mumbai’s oldest, has been in a bad shape since the last few years despite being being used by thousands to cross over Marine Drive everyday.
Although it is currently in the process of getting demolished and reconstructed by the bridge department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the work has been delayed due to various factors.
Among them was a six month delay in receiving permission from the traffic police. The department finally gave permission sometime back, but only on the condition that the work be carried out in phases to minimize impact on the road.
Railway officials have also been pressing the civic body to expedite work of reconstructing the FOB in the wake of recent mishaps.
Incidentally, suburban stations on the city’s Western line have been in the eye of the storm in recent weeks following a stampede at Elphinstone Road station FOB on September 29, in which 23 people were killed.
Following the tragedy, railways had done a preliminary review of the station’s infrastructure to identify any crucial and immediate threats.
Despite that, a 38-year-old woman was injured after a loose tile of the exact same FOB fell on her head just yesterday.
Meanwhile, a railway panel which conducted a detailed safety audit of 126 stations in the city recommended the construction of at least 40 new FOBs and 70 staircases across WR and CR.
