The MMMOCL has closed the entry and exit points at the northern end of the station, which is next to the encroachment area
By Mustafa Shaikh : A landslide occurred near the newly-built Magathane metro station in Mumbai’s Borivali on Wednesday, triggering panic among the residents. Sharing the video, locals alleged that the landslide occurred due to unchecked construction near the metro station.
“The digging by private developers has put our high-rise buildings and the lives of people who travel by metro at risk. We have written to the Mumbai Police and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) about this.
The authorities have also taken cognisance of the issue and initiated action,” a resident, Rajesh Kamat, said.
Refuting the allegations of the residents, the Mumbai Police said that the landslide happened due to the bursting of a water pipeline in the area.
However, this is not the first such incident. According to the locals, a similar incident occurred on Saturday in which the mud under one of the metro pillars was washed away, following which Metro authorities shut one of the entrances of the Magathane station.
After Saturday’s incident, the BMC stopped construction in the area and served a notice to the private developer involved in the construction activities. An FIR was also filed by the police against the developer for negligence.
According to the residents, the private builder started digging at the site without building a retaining wall.
“We have been following up with the authorities for the past few months. The builder started digging near our buildings and metro station without constructing a retaining wall,” said Sriram Krishnan, another Borivali resident.
However, a private contractor at the construction site said, “The incident occurred due to a pipeline burst after cabling work was done by a private company. We were in the process of building a retaining wall, but the work couldn’t be completed.”
“The process to fill the construction site with mud is still going on to avoid further damage,” the contractor added.
Following the incident, Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL), took precautionary measures which included shutting down Magathane station’s northern side exit for a temporary period, shutting down the lift on the northern side of the station, barricading the concourse area towards the affected road and deployment of additional staff to help the commuters.
