Stampede staircase better of the two connecting Parel and Elphinstone stations, say commuters

Commuters pay homage to victims of the stampede at Elphinstone station on
Saturday evening. Ganesh Shirsekar

The staircase that witnessed people being crushed to death in a stampede at the Elphinstone Road station on Friday, commuters said, was not the worst part of the railway station. “The irony is that the staircase on which the accident took place is not even the worst staircase on Parel railway station,” said an irate Subhash Gupta, a member of Zonal Railway Users’ Consultative Council.

“Initially when most people heard about the stampede on the bridge, everyone, including me, assumed that it was the staircase that connects Parel railway station to the foot overbridge (FOB). Later, we came to know that it was the staircase on the Elphinstone Road side of the bridge,” Gupta added.

Several commuters echoed him saying when they heard about the stampede, they assumed “it was the staircase that was always in trouble”.

A day after the stampede claimed 23, the chatter in the trains that normally ranges from politics to cricket, is restricted to the tragedy. Complaints about poor railway infrastructure would have been mundane conversation on most other days. But on Saturday, there was an underlying fear.

As a train reaches Parel, there is a sigh.

People point towards the staircase on the west end of the FOB connecting Parel and Elphinstone Road stations.

“There is less crowd at the bridge today as it is a public holiday due to Dussehra. Come on Tuesday — Monday is Gandhi Jayanti, a public holiday — if you want to see the condition of the bridges,” says Harish Mhatre (44), a Mankhurd resident who works in Parel.

On Sunday, the station did not witness the regular peak hour traffic on account of a public holiday. But there was increased police presence on the FOB with six -seven Railway Protection Force personnel manning it.The bridge was also visited by politicians like Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam who said that from Monday, they would be visiting several platforms and submitting a report on those to the railways.

Mhatre reaches Parel station around 9 am every day and he was there a few minutes before Friday’s incident as well. “Normally, the staircase connecting Parel station to the FOB is much more crowded than the spot where the incident took place. Had this happened on that staircase, the death count would have been higher.” he said.

Pandurang Koli (36), a Matunga resident, said: “The tiles on the FOB are slippery and since it had rained that day, the tiles got all the more slippery. It led to one person slipping, which eventually led to the tragedy. Also, in the mornings fisherwomen using the bridge spill water at times, making it slippery. I have myself slipped on the bridge so many times. They should at least change the tiles.”

Many, however, said that in spite the condition of the bridge, they had no option but to keep using it.

“Even if 50 people die using the bridge tomorrow, I will use it. It is nothing more than “majboori” (helplessness) of the common man. On routes that we have an option, like the Andheri-Ghatkopar metro, we can avoid the trains. But Parel-Elphinstone is a hub where so many people work in offices close to the station. What can they do?” Gupta said. Rahul Ugale (25), who travels from Ghatkopar to Parel everyday, said: “It is not that the condition is safer at Dadar railway station. My office is in Sunshine Tower located next to the station. This is the most convenient way.”

The railways had received several warnings on Twitter about the poor condition of the bridge. Two constables on Parel station stand testimony to those.

“We have to face abuses from commuters every day since people suffer due to the narrow staircase. They abuse us and hold us responsible. We tell them that we are just policemen doing our duty. You should complain to the railway authorities,” a constable said.