Mumbai: Kurla-Bandra Railway Link Cancelled Due To False Information; Fraud of MMRDA Revealed Through RTI

Mumbai, 5th December 2022: The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) cancelled the Kurla-Bandra railway link and railway station proposal in E and G blocks. The MMRDA cheated the government and the public by giving false information about the metro connection to Bandra and Kurla railway stations to benefit private developers.

RTI activist Anil Galgali has demanded to investigate the officials register an FIR on MMRDA officers and re-stretch the Bandra-Kurla railway line to restore the railway stations in E and G blocks.

On 22 February 2011, MMRDA published a notification for the cancellation of the drawing of the Kurla-Bandra railway line and the proposal of a railway station in the E and G blocks. On March 14, 2011, objections were submitted in writing to the MMRDA through Athak Seva Sangh of Anil Galgali and the hearing was concluded accordingly. On May 30, 2010, the committee constituted under the chairmanship of PRK Murthy held a hearing at the MMRDA office. After the hearing, the planning committee consisting of PRK Murthy, D Sampathkumar, and PG Godbole sent a report to the government making three recommendations.

The report of the planning committee was submitted to the government by the MMRDA through a letter. In this report, the objections raised by Anil Galgali were conveyed that the planning committee constituted has considered the proposed (Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd) metro line passing through BKC and connecting Bandra to Kurla station. The bandra-Kurla rail link is very close to the drawing. Since there is no need for two railway lines, the Planning Committee has recommended discarding the Bandra-Kurla railway line from the approved plan proposals of BKC. Also, when the government approved the cancellation of the 7th railway line on 23 June 2000, it was mentioned that there is a proposed railway station in Blocks E and G of Bandra Kurla Complex. Now canceling the drawing of the proposed railway station and Bandra-Kurla Railway Line, 4210 square meters were separated of the proposed 5 thousand square meters of land that was reserved for the traction substation.

According to Anil Galgali, the members of the Planning Committee and the Metropolitan Commissioner have cheated him, the government, and the people of Mumbai by giving false information about connecting the metro to Bandra and Kurla railway stations. In this, the Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA has given false information to Principal Secretary-1, Urban Development, Mumbai Rail Vikas Nigam, Principal Secretary, Environment. Based on this false information, the notification was issued on 1 October 2018. The notification mentions false information about connecting Metro to Bandra and Kurla railway stations which do not exist at present. Therefore, it is necessary to cancel this notification also.

In a letter sent by Anil Galgali to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary Urban Development, a demand has been made to cancel the notification issued by the Urban Development Department on October 1, 2018, and undo the drawing of Kurla-Bandra railway line and railway station in E and G block. An FIR should be filed against the commissioners of MMRDA and the members of the planning committee who cheated the government by giving false information to help private people. The financial loss caused to MMRDA due to this should be recovered from the concerned commissioners and planning committee members.

Anil Galgali said, ” Today there is no direct route connecting the Central and Western Railways. The project is not very costly and today more than 30 million passengers travel between Kurla and Bandra every year. If this route is made, there will be less congestion in Dadar and daily commuters will get relief. Indian Railways is cheap and economical and it will benefit the common citizens. Today BKC has a sizeable population of working-class people who will be benefited from this link. The project will not cost much and time and fuel will be saved. People’s representatives of all political parties have also made demands in this regard from time to time.”

Earlier, on November 15, 2018, a positive decision was taken in a meeting at the Chief Minister’s office. A notification was issued before this meeting. In this, Anil Galgali has mentioned that the role of Pradeep Gohil, Under Secretary of the Urban Development Department, is suspicious.

Commercial use is for the benefit of private developers and lakhs of citizens are facing the brunt. Instead, if the government had given priority to the construction of the Bandra-Kurla rail link and taken it forward with the railway administration, a rail link connecting the west and central regions for the first time would have been available and thereby replace an existing one. A new alternative to the collapsing public transport system would have become available. The plan for the railway line was canceled by spreading fake information as top officials of MMRDA were trying to favor private developers, and blame Galgali.