Mumbai: In a tragic development, a 22-year-old Dombivali woman died after she fell off an overcrowded local train, while on her way to work in Kopar. The victim was identified as Charmi Prasad, a resident of Bhopar in Dombivali.
According to reports, she fell off a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)-bound train at 9:20 AM during rush hour on Monday. The train, state reports, was so overpacked that she couldn’t even get inside it fully and only managed to hold on to a handlebar at the doorway before falling.
Following the incident, the victim, a sales executive in a private firm, was rushed to a nearby hospital, but died during treatment. Blaming Central Railway (CR) for the incident, her family demanded an increase in the number of trains, as well as action against those who block the doorway, thus preventing Dombivali residents from boarding trains.
This was the fourth incident of a fatal fall between Dombivali and Kopar stations this year, as well as seventh in four years. Also, according to a Right to Information (RTI) response, nearly 27,000 people have died in suburban train mishaps between January 2010 and September this year.
Overcrowding in local trains was one of the arguments made by those arguing in favour of the controversial Metro car shed in Mumbai’s Aarey. However, the project was put on hold by new Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who also ordered a review of all development projects sanctioned by his predecessor Devendra Fadnavis.
