10 May,2011 07:29 AM IST | | Rinkita Gurav
It has been nearly six years since work on the Kurla subway was initiated, and nearly 90 per cent of the work has been completed. However, the remaining portion of the work has been lying in limbo, allegedly owing to water logging problems. The project, which was launched in 2001, is a joint BMC-Central Railway venture. Once completed, it was to enable an easy passage to pedestrians and light vehicles travelling from Kurla (East) to Kurla (West), who would not have to resort to the extended 6 km route through Sion used at present.
Domestic use? Women wash clothes using wateru00a0hauled up from a
chamber of the underground subway, the construction of which is lying in
limbo as BMC fears that waterlogging will prevent vehicles from plying
on it. Pic/Sameer Markande
The subway is 120 m long and 28 ft wide, passing below ten railway platforms (eight under the suburban Kurla station, and two under the goods train tracks) The railway authorities have completed majority of the work that was allotted to them, primarily the construction of a subway, along with exhaust windows. The work that remains to be done comprises construction of openings at either ends of the subway, and had been allotted to the BMC.
Problems cropped up when a report was issued by the Veermata Jeejabai Technical Institute (VJTI) in 2006, saying that the subway, if constructed, would be prone to heavy flooding due to groundwater seepage in the area, along with other technical problems. The report suggested that the subway could be opened to the pedestrians only after 70 per cent of the project was completed.
Jitendra Gupta, local resident and member of Road Transport Committee, confirmed that the railways had done their part of the allocated work, but the locals were still awaiting the opening of the subway. "The final phase of the project is left, in course of which openings to the subway will be constructed. This work has been stalled for the past six months. The tender was issued in January, and the work was scheduled to begin in March. But no progress seems to have been made at all," said Gupta.
"Allowing only pedestrians to use the subway would render it useless, as the station already has two foot over bridges," he informed. If and when the project is completed, the subway will help the 8 lakh commuters traversing on the Sion-Ghatkopar roadway. The BMC is reportedly also finding it difficult to construct entry points on either side of the subway owing to encroachment by hawkers and slum-dwellers.
When contacted, Vidhya-dhar Malegaonkar, the Central Railways chief spokesperson said, "We have completed our portion of the project. It is now up to the BMC to complete theirs, by constructing the openings of the subway. There is waterlogging in the subway due to the presence of underground utility lines. The BMC is still dithering over whether to reserve the subway exclusively for pedestrians, or whether to allow lightweight vehicles as well. The work can only be done once these decisions have been made."
The Other Side
R N Kulkarni, BMC's chief engineer of the road, bridges and traffic department said, "The opening of the subway will be constructed within a few months. I am not fully aware of the issue, and have to study it first." Repeated attempts to contact the Additional Municipal Commissioner Aseem Gupta proved futile, as he remained unavailable for comment.
Money matters
Project Cost: Rs 8 crore
Money spent: Rs 6.5 crore (by the Central Railway)
Grand designs
In February 2011, the Central Railway had invited tenders worth Rs 3.4 crore, for a project which included construction of the remaining portion of the subway, modifications to the foot over bridges, water proofing and other ancillary works.
