04.12.91 *t11 (iv) Need to Constitute a High Power Committee to look into the problems caused due to overcrowdIng In Mumbai Suburban Railway Trains SHRI RAM NAIK (Bombay-North) The overcrowding in Mumbai (Bombay) Suburban railway trains has reached a stage, where the entire system can collapse at any time. A nin-car suburban train rake which 622 Rule 377 has a seating capacity of 862 persons, carries 3408 persons during the super-dense crush-load period" i.e. four times more than the sanctioned capacity. According to the Railway Ministry report, published in September 1990 "occupation of suburban trains in Bombay is so heavy that there is no parallel to this in the world". Out of one crore passengers travelling daily in the country, the number of Mumbai commuters is 51 lakhs, i.e. more than 50 per cent. The Railway Ministry have prepared and published a Project Report involving investment of Rs. 2,000/- crores in September, 1990, to ease the overcrowding. However, no concrete steps have been taken to sanction and implement the project Report. 1, therefore, urge the Government to constitute a High-Power Committee consisting or Railway Minister, Finance Minister, Urban Development Minister, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Chief Minister and Finance Minister of Maharashtra, Mayor of Mumbai, M.Ps from Mumbai Thane, Chairman of Railway Board and Secretaries of the concerned departments. The Committee should finalise its recommendations on war footing about the mode of raising funds, priorities to be undertaken and the timebound programme for executing them. I also request that the project of quadruplicating Borivli-Virar Section of the Western Railway be given first priority, it should be extended upto Dahanu and that vasai-Diva line should be opened for suburban commuters traffic.

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