The Railways had to take the fall for a job given to the BMC
The Railways had to take the fall for a job given to the BMC. A report in this paper yesterday stated how on June 28, the Western Railway (WR) services were down during the evening rush hour after a tree collapsed on the overhead wires and caught fire.
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WR had foreseen this, and had asked BMC to trim that same tree at least a month in advance. In a series of pre-monsoon meetings between WR and BMC, railway authorities requested the civic body to trim around 240 trees within 10 meters of the train tracks. Yet, BMC said it trimmed only 12 trees. After heavy rains, a tree collapsed on the overhead wire equipment (OHE) cable between Lower Parel and Mahalaxmi stations and then burst into flames. Several trains were cancelled, while others ran up to 30 minutes late, inconveniencing lakhs of peak hour commuters.
Different administrative arms from the city must be on the same page while tackling monsoon-related problems. It is inexplicable why one agency gives a list of dangerous trees to be trimmed pre-monsoon, when this is not followed to the letter.
One has to see that pre-monsoon meetings bear fruit. We see how civic agencies and other facilities in the city do have meetings to gear up for the challenges unique to Mumbai, for a very challenging season. There must be strong communication between all arms and cohesive, well-coordinated action post these meetings.
We often see a ping-pong game ensuing between different agencies when it comes to rain disasters, whether it is roads that fall apart, wall collapse or tree falls. One blames the other, leaving the common citizen to be caught up in the midst of the crossfire, who does not know where to turn. Smoother, well-oiled communication, less red tape and clearly defined roles are imperative for these meetings to take on real meaning.
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