Rail workers are up in arms against the shutdown of the 138-year-old Parel railway workshop, alleging that this would affect the 3,000 employees working there.
The Central Railway (CR) is planning a long-distance train terminus at a cost of Rs 193 crore at the Parel workshop, for operating new trains, and for their parking and maintenance. The first step was creating a terminating platform for suburban trains at Parel, the work for which started recently.
On Thursday evening, many CR employees protested at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) against the administration shutting down the workshop. "There are already terminus at Dadar, Kurla and Bandra. What is the need for another one in Parel? The railways have infused crores into developing it while there are over 3,000 staff working there who'll be hit with transfers," said A Mahendru, senior leader, Central Railway Mazdoor Sangh (CRMS).
The unions has questioned the shifting of operations at Sanpada, Matunga and other workshops at other localities. At the one in Parel, the railways carries out periodic maintenance of locomotives, 140-tonne cranes used during mega blocks and accidents, trains running on narrow-gauge lines, and midlife repairs for local EMU trains.
The UNESCO world heritage building of CSMT was draped in CRMS flags. A similar protest earlier resulted in damage to gargoyles.
The CR authorities claim Parel terminus will decongest Parel and Dadar stations. "The employees would not be transferred out of Mumbai," said Sunil Udasi, chief public relations officer, Central Railway.
