Army to rebuild Mumbai's Elphistone station foot overbridge
Mumbai, Oct 31 (IBNS) : A month after the stampede at Mumbai's Elphinstone station that left 23 people dead, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said the Army will rebuild the old foot overbridge where the tragic incident took place, taking up the work on "war footing," reports said..
He made the announcement while making a surprise visit to the station along with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Speaking to reporters, Goyal said the Army has agreed to help in rebuilding the foot overbridge. The project will be completed by January 31, 2018.
Goyal also said two other foot overbridges in Mumbai have been identified for rebuilding.
"The work will be taken up on war footing and will be executed with military precision," he said.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who had discussed the issue with Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, said, “Army has come and inspected and assessed where the bridge is going to be built. They will be there at every stage of the work."
"This is probably first time the Army to come in to build what could otherwise be called civil work," she added.
Several daily commuters died after they were trapped at the railway station and the footbridge as disturbing footage of bodies on the bridge, some against the railing, left everyone shocked.
The incident sent a shock wave across the country. Maharashtra Nava Nirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, while leading a demonstration against what he called "apathetic attitude" of the Railways authorities, threatened to stall PM Narendra Modi's dream project for Bullet train unless the century-old footbridge is rebuilt to accommodate the increased volume of daily commuters.
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