Sachin Tendulkar asked for foot overbridges in 2016, Elphinstone never got one
Sachin Tendulkar, in a query in Rajya Sabha, had asked about Railways’ plans for additional foot overbridges in high density stations in Mumbai . However, several stations including Elphinstone Road, where 22 people died due to a stampede, never got one.
Sachin Tendulkar was assured by the Ministry of Railways a year ago that a provision for constructing five new foot overbridges (FOB) has been sanctioned in 2016-17 for Mumbai’s train stations. (India vs Australia 5th ODI: HIGHLIGHTS)
According to the Indian Express, after repeated requests from Sachin Tendulkar and Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant, former Railway minister Suresh Prabhu had sanctioned upgrade work at the Elphinstone Road Station – where as many as 22 died and more than 35 were injured during a stampede on Friday.
The sanction work amounting to Rs11.86 crore under Passenger Amenities, however, remained on paper.
The tender is valued at 12.8 crore rupees and will open in November, more than one year after it was sanctioned in the Railway Budget for 2016-17.
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As a Rajya Sabha MP, Sachin Tendulkar had questioned if the Railways had “identified high-density stations which have only one single bridge like Mumbra, Parel and others, for additional bridge construction to enhance safety during peak hours”.
The Railaways minister of State Rajen Gohain responded to Tendulkar’s query by saying that the need for provision of adding more FOBs at Mumbai’s several suburban stations “is regularly examined and if found justified and feasible, suitable action is taken”.
The report added that Tendulkar has asked a total of 22 questions, eight of which were solely based on the Railways.