RailEnquiry

Mumbai: On Wednesday, for the second time in five months, the railways failed to inform the BMC about an emergency affecting its services. In July, it was from TV channels that the BMC learnt of the Western Railway motormen’s flash strike, which disrupted train services for three to four hours.
    “The railways never inform us about any disruption. Each time, it is us who take flak for failing to coordinate with them effectively,” said a senior BMC official. “During the strike, the seriousness of the matter was brought home when we got a distress call on our helpline from a distraught husband whose seven-month pregnant wife was stranded on a train between Matunga and Mahim. We arranged for an ambulance to pick her up.”
    Former chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad said there was a need for an administrative mechanism for the railways to coordinate with all civic agencies in times of crisis. “I feel either the additional chief secretary (home) or the chief secretary should be appointed as an authority to tackle any disasters in Mumbai.”