Amid opposition fire, Railways says army given bridge work to avoid lengthy process

MUMBAI: The Railways claimed that they are facing needless criticism for calling up the defence ministry for help in completing a bridge in Elphinstone, and two more at Currey Road and Ambivali stations.

Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and railway minister Piyush Goyal visited the Elphinstone Road station on Tuesday where Goyal announced the Army would build the bridges by January 31, 2018. Railway officials, who did not want to be identified, said the reason they sought army’s help was because they can start work immediately and finish the projects within the next three months.

“The Army is not encumbered in the process of tendering and seeking funds, they can simply come and start work on the bridge tomorrow...,” said a railway official. The development has drawn sharp criticism from many quarters with Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam saying whether army’s help would now be taken to fill potholes in the city.

Former Maharashtra CM Prithivraj Chavan said this is a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ by the railways. “Every year, 3,500 people die on Mumbai’s tracks — this is like one Bhopal tragedy every year in Mumbai. Yet instead of doing something about it, you go and hand over the bridge building to the Army. Why don’t you hand over the entire railways to the Army then?” he asked.

Madhu Kotian, president of the Mumbai Railway Pravasi Sangh, has a different view though. “All we want is a bridge, we don’t want more people to die; the railway process takes up to a year or two to reach the tendering stage. We don’t care who builds the bridge as long as it is there,” Kotian told ET.