Western Railway local trains in Mumbai hit due to technical issues; Metro runs extra services
Mumbai (PTI): Local train services on the Western Railway network were disrupted on Monday due to technical issues after a cable being cut at the Borivali station in Mumbai, officials said.
Extra Metro services were operated to handle the rush of passengers due to delayed local train services on the Western Railway (WR) network, they said.
Borivali is one of the busiest railway stations in north Mumbai, with a large number of commuters and office-goers using local train services from there everyday.
The technical issues occurred at around 2 am and suburban trains were not operated from platform numbers 1 and 2 of the Borivali station due to the cable being cut that rendered some track changing points non-operational, the Western Railway officials said in the morning.
Trains were being operated from the remaining platforms - 3 to 8- at the station, according to an official.
WR officials later said the technical issues were partially resolved.
Four track changing points which were affected due to the cable cut were restored, but the restoration work was still on, they said.
The Western Railway daily operates more than 1,300 suburban services and around 30 lakh commuters travel on its network, spread between Churchgate in south Mumbai and Dahanu in neighbouring Palghar district.
A spokesperson of the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited said they operated extra services on Monday morning to cater to the rush of passengers due to the delayed local trains services on the WR route.
Normally, 21 train sets are operated during peak hours, but on Monday, 24 were in service, the official said, adding that Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority's (MMRDA) Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee has instructed them to run extra services to alleviate the rush.
Metro Line 2A (between Dahisar and Andheri West) and Line 7 (between Dahisar and Andheri East) witnessed significant increase in overcrowding at Borivali, Kurar and Rashtriya Udyan stations, the official said.
"Currently, four extra train sets have been added on Metro lines 2A and 7," the spokesperson, adding the additional services will continue until the situation normalises.
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Hospital wall collapse: CM orders suspension of executive engineer; kin of victims get solatium
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.
A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.
The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.
"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.
A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).
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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.
The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.
During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.
Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.
Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.
Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.
Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.
The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.
Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.
