By | Arvind Jadhav
Mumbai: The Central Railway had planned a maintenance block on Sunday, August 31, to carry out repairs on tracks, signaling systems, and overhead wires between CSMT and Vidyavihar. However, following public outcry over the inconvenience this would cause to thousands of devotees visiting Mumbai for Ganesh darshan, the block has been canceled.
The decision came after a report in Loksatta highlighted that the planned block would disrupt travel for devotees heading to major Ganesh pandals like Lalbaugcha Raja and Chinchpokli’s Chintamani. Millions of people visit Mumbai on Sundays for Ganesh festival celebrations, especially at Chinchpokli and Curry Road stations, where heavy footfall is expected throughout the season.
The original plan included halting services on the slow line and canceling stops at Chinchpokli and Curry Road stations during the block period. This would have caused severe inconvenience to pilgrims traveling for darshan.
After the report gained attention, Central Railway officials reviewed the situation. On Saturday afternoon, Dr. Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railway, confirmed that the block had been canceled, offering much-needed relief to devotees.
Passenger associations, however, criticized railway officials, claiming they lacked awareness about the scale of Ganesh festival travel. “Expressing regret alone is not enough; authorities must plan better to avoid such situations,” said commuter representatives.
