Railway bid to check landslides at Kasara Ghat

NASHIK: The Central Railways (CR) will undertake a series of measures to make Kasara Ghat landslide-proof.
The Mumbai division of Central Railways has already carried out a survey of Kasara Ghat and identified 12 locations that need immediate protection so that the debris, be it soil or boulders, do not roll down on the tracks, affecting the train corridor through the Ghat section joining Igatpuri in Nashik and Kasara in Thane district -the gateway between Mumbai and North India.
"A team of experts has toured Kasara Ghat and identified 12 locations that need immediate treatment. The regions experience very heavy rainfall and though most of the sites are clear, the incident of July 30, where debris from a construction site of a hotel near Igatpuri station that blocked one track of the railways, has sparked possibility of hidden areas that need treatment. This is why the work will be taken up one by one with all measures to ensure that the section remains free from incidents," said a senior official in Central Railway, who is privy to the development.
The projects identified are construction of a gabion wall, setting up of wiry mesh in case there are small rocks that have the possibility of giving way and chiseling out the sharp edges that dangerously hang over the railway tracks.
"The tracks and the sides of the hills are constantly under watch and there is no immediate danger to any of the locations in Kasara Ghat. The measures required to arrest landslides are always taken. The treatment, however, is part of additional safety for passengers and minimizing loses that may arise out of situations resulting from accidents or traffic logging," the officer said.
It is estimated that each of the sites would cost around Rs 2 crore and since there is not enough budget for the projects, it is likely that the Railways would carry out the work in the span of two-to-three years with assignments being taken up separately. The projects are likely to begin as early as November, the official said.
The Mumbai-Nashik stretch is among the busiest routes for the railways with a huge chunk of north- and east-bound trains from Central Railways using the route. On any regular day, the Northeast section of Central Railways - the Kasara-Nashik stretch - sees movement of close to 160 trains. These include some 50 pairs of mail and express trains that reach and go out of Mumbai to various parts of the country. Besides, there are 10 pairs of goods trains coming in and going out of Mumbai.