Thrissur railway fire raises concerns over parking safety at Mumbai stations

Two days after a massive fire broke out at the Thrissur railway station in Kerala leaving more than 500 motorbikes gutted midday visited two railway stations each on the cityrsquos Central Harbour and Western lines to assess whether or not their parking facilities are sufficiently equipped to prevent a similar calamityThe parking lot on the eastern side of Andheri railway stationThe Kerala blaze erupted in the twowheeler parking area near the rear entrance of the station around 630 am on Sunday Southern Railway said the fire did not originate from overhead equipment or any railway electrical installationThe jampacked parking facility at Thane station PICRAJENDRA B AKLEKARThe fire was brought under control within an hour No casualties or injuries were reported ldquoAbout 100 bikes caught fire in about 5 minutes The fire brigade arrived at the 16th minute but despite efforts the fire spread very fast as there was fuel in the tanks and many batteries of electric vehicles explodedrdquo an official saidThe Nerul station parking lot which lacks fire extinguishers PICMADHULIKA RAM KAVATTURCentral RailwayStation Thane Safety check Has fire safety pointThe lsquofire pointrsquo at the Thane station parking lot PICSRAJENDRA B AKLEKARAt this spot there is a twostorey parking lot adjoining platform 1 which was jampacked with twowheelers on Tuesday A handful of casually dressed attendants were manning the access point of the facility keeping watch as twowheelers entered and exited Asked about fire training and disaster response they looked confused and muttered the parking rate ldquoIf you want to park a bike here do it or go elsewhererdquo said oneA closer look at the lot on the other side revealed a fire safety point near the station managerrsquos office with buckets to hold sand and water However given the scale of the parking lot and volume of twowheelers here this measure may prove to be inadequate In an emergency it may not be helpful at allStation Kurla Safety check No fire safety apparatusThe Kurla station parking lotThere is a small twostorey parking lot outside the station near the escalators It has a small entry gate and otherwise is wellbarricaded However the site was not manned There is an RPF office nearby which might have a fire extinguisher This space been used as an electric bike point but ever since the contract lapsed it has been used for twowheeler parkingVoicesMandar Abhyankar commuterlsquoPeriodic fire safety audits infrastructure upgrades and consistent implementation of updated safety guidelines are essential to enhance preparedness and reduce the risk of untoward incidents at Mumbairsquos railway stations rsquoUmesh Vishe commuterlsquoThere are no safety devices or mechanisms in railway parking lots Apart from this no responsibility is taken by officials for whatever happens to vehiclesWestern RailwayStation Borivli Safety check No fire safety equipmentSafety check No fire safety equipmentThe parking lot at Borivli railway station which lacks firefighting equipment PICSRITIKA GONDHALEKAROn the east side there are two open parking lots one of which is used exclusively for twowheelers Both spots lacked fire safety equipment Payandpark staff who claimed to have been appointed by the BMC manage the parking lots ldquoWe ensure petrol doesnrsquot leak from any vehicle So far there have been no fires hererdquo said Azim Khan one of the staffersStation Andheri Safety check No fire safety equipmentThe parking lot on the eastern side of Andheri railway stationThe situation was the same at Andheri station Ashish Pathak a twowheeler rider who uses the facility daily told midday ldquoAt least 300400 vehicles are parked at the eastern side of Andheri station daily But still there isnrsquot a single manual fire extinguisher around Those who manage the parking lot have a small office They could keep basic equipment thererdquoVoicesEsha Patkar Borivli residentlsquoConsidering the large number of electric vehicles being used nowadays fireextinguishing equipment is vital The only fire extinguishers available are either on platforms or in station mastersrsquo offices Who will go there in emergenciesrsquoPrathamesh Jadhav Andheri East residentlsquoConsidering how those managing parking lots move vehicles around recklessly chances of petrol leakage and fires due to damage are high Who will take the responsibility in such casesrsquoHarbour LineStation NerulSafety check No fire safety equipmentThe Nerul station parking lot which lacks fire extinguishers PICSMADHULIKA RAM KAVATTURThere are open parking lots at either end of the station but neither has any fire safety equipment On a busy day 300 twowheelers and under 100 fourwheelers are parked on each side A parking attendant said ldquoWe have never heard the authorities even thinking about installing such equipment We believe we can manage a small fire ourselvesrdquoStation CBD BelapurSafety check Fire safety equipment in only one areaFire equipment near the Metro station at the CBD Belapur parking lotOver a thousand twowheelers and 400 fourwheelers are parked here daily But fire safety equipment is present only in a parking area near the Metro station There are two water supply pipes at this spot where there also exists a parking bay for fire engines Attendants said they were taking steps to prevent firesOfficial SpeakA Central Railway CR spokesperson said that six to 12 fire extinguishers were always available on CR station premises and drills are regularly held to prevent mishaps A Western Railway spokesperson said ldquoThere are fire extinguishers and measures at all the parking lots and all such placesrdquo Officials from the City and Industrial Development Corporation responsible for the Harbour line couldnrsquot be reached by press timeBY TEAM MIDDAY