CR puts off drive to raze illegal structures along rail tracks

Central Railway today deferred its drive, beginning tomorrow, to demolish 114 "unauthorised" residential structures at Samant Nagar along rail tracks in suburban Vikhroli following a strong protest by the residents.
Around 500 residents, including a group of retired railway employees, living alongside Vikhroli (West) railway line, have threatened to lie down on railway tracks if authorities try to raze their houses.
The residents tried to meet General Manager of Central Railway, S K Sood, but they were not allowed.
"We were not allowed to meet the General Manager. However, we are relieved that authorities paid heed to our requests (to postpone the drive)," a resident Shivji Gupta said and hoped that railway would rehabilitate all "rightful" hutment-dwellers staying in the locality.

Last month, CR had written to Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and order) seeking assistance for razing the structures.
"This is the kind of treatment we received after serving the railways for 30 years. I lived in my house during all these years and now they say that my home is illegal," Shashikant Shirwadkar, a retired CR guard, said.

He said, "As per a government rule, owner of hut, before 2000, is liable to be rehabilitated and we have all the documents."
Shirwadkar flashed electricity and water bills to support his claim.
Gupta said, "We all have ration cards, voter cards, water bills, electricity bills since years and even SPARC (Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres) found that our homes are not illegal during its survey".

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had appointed SPARC to conduct a baseline socio-economic survey of the Project Affected Person (PAPs) of the 5th and 6th line railway tracks between Kurla and Vidyavihar stations on CR.
When contacted, a senior railway official said, "Whatever being done (by CR) is within the purview of rules. We have deferred our demolition drive as some affected residents have approached us claiming their right (to stay in their houses)".
Objecting the drive, an RTI activist termed it as "inhuman" but welcomed the CR's decision to put off the plan.
"Now, the railway should do its own survey and try to rehabilitate the rightful owners and punish illegal hutment dwellers," the activist added.