Sachin Tendulkar wants the Railways to immediately revamp and construct as many foot over-bridges as possible, in high-density single-bridge stations on the Western, Central (Main) and Central (Harbour).
In a letter to the Railways Minister, Piyush Goyal, he requests the Mumbai Suburban Collector to authorize ₹2 crore from his MPLAD funds – ₹1 crore for Western Railway and ₹1 crore for Central Railway.
In the letter, Sachin writes, “I am writing to you in support of your ongoing initiative to make Mumbai suburban railways safer and convenient for commuters. Mumbai Railways have been the heart of the city for years, and the dedication of employees of the railways is laudable. We had seen Howrah Railway employees had gone above and beyond their duties when Mumbai was hit by unfortunate incidents in the past.”
However, he goes on to write that there is a massive scope for improvement and a need for an upgrade.
He talks about providing a safer environment for commuters while referring to the recent Elphinstone Road Station tragedy.
“For the families of those affected, it is not a happy Diwali in any sense. We must do all that we can as responsible citizens to ensure this never happens again on any Railway network in India,” he writes.
Sachin then requests the creation of two separate independent zones for the suburban services and says that there is merit in the request – a query he has raised in the Parliament earlier. According to an India Today source, the Railway Ministry is also considering to make Sachin the brand ambassador for safety.