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By:

Minal Sancheti

2 May 2026 at 12:26:53 pm

Tussle between BMC, WR leaves Dadar dry

Mumbai: Dadar is the only railway station in Mumbai that has no authorised water connection. This, as per the sources, is due to an ongoing dispute between the Western Railway and the BMC. The tussle between the BMC and the Western Railway has led to a strange situation. The Western Railway is asking the BMC to pay Rs 338 crore for way leave charges, and the Western Railway has to pay Rs 22 Lakh to the BMC. The tussle has been going on for 12 years and remains unresolved. As per the sources,...

Tussle between BMC, WR leaves Dadar dry

Mumbai: Dadar is the only railway station in Mumbai that has no authorised water connection. This, as per the sources, is due to an ongoing dispute between the Western Railway and the BMC. The tussle between the BMC and the Western Railway has led to a strange situation. The Western Railway is asking the BMC to pay Rs 338 crore for way leave charges, and the Western Railway has to pay Rs 22 Lakh to the BMC. The tussle has been going on for 12 years and remains unresolved. As per the sources, due to this, the BMC has not given any new connections to the Western Railway, which needs the connections because of the increase in the capacity of new coaches. Currently, the Western Railway is facing a water shortage of 20 per cent for train operations. Thus, the water is being filled at the next train stops like Surat and Valsad, or wherever the train halts. The dependency on water tankers has increased because the Western Railway did not have enough water connections from the BMC. This has caused more expenditure for the Western Railway. For Dadar terminus, the Western Railway uses 40 water tankers, each water tanker of the capacity of 10,000 litres, which comes down to four lakh litres of water every day. Around eight water tankers of the capacity of 10,000 litres, which comes down to 80,000 litres of water, are required for Dadar station. In total, the Western Railway incurs expenses on 4,80,000 litres of water every day. BMC PRO Tanaji Kamble has denied that there was no water connection at Dadar Railway Station. “Every station has BMC water connection,” he said. Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Western Railway Vineet Abhishek said, “All efforts are being taken to ensure there is no inconvenience to our passengers.”

How a collector’s field visit pushes ideas

Indu Rani Jakhar charts a development vision including waterfalls to village pathways for Palghar during her extensive leg work

Palghar: A zipline soaring above lush valleys, a glass skywalk overlooking a majestic waterfall, homestays nestled in tribal villages, and roads connecting some of the district’s most remote hamlets—these are among the transformative ideas taking shape in Jawhar and Mokhada following an extensive field visit by Palghar District Collector Indu Rani Jakhar on Sunday.


Accompanied by Apoorva Basur, Assistant Collector and Project Officer, Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP), Jawhar, along with senior officials from the Forest Department, Public Works Department (PWD), Zilla Parishad, Women and Child Development Department, Revenue Department and other concerned agencies, Jakhar spent the day reviewing development projects, tourism infrastructure and public service initiatives across the two tribal talukas.


At Kasatwadi, the Collector reviewed the upcoming approximately Rs. 1.2 crore Two-Way Zipline project and emphasised that successful tourism extends beyond attractions to creating a complete visitor experience. She directed officials to provide sanitation facilities, seating arrangements, food services and other essential amenities while ensuring strict safety standards. The project is expected to become operational within the next month.


The visit then moved to Dabhosa Waterfall, where plans are underway for a Sky Walk Glass Bridge, with an approximate budget of Rs. two crore ‘Calling Dabhosa’ one of the district’s most valuable tourism assets, Jakhar instructed PWD officials to prepare a comprehensive development plan on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, incorporating parking facilities, ticket counters, waiting areas, food courts, gazebos, toilets and visitor guidance systems. She also suggested creating rest points and refreshment facilities for tourists descending to the waterfall.


Ground Reality

A field inspection of the unconnected Kogda-Khairmal road highlighted the region’s connectivity challenges. To assess the situation firsthand, Jakhar and the accompanying team trekked nearly four kilometres through difficult terrain to reach Khairmal village before proceeding to Gatepada.


Recognising the tourism potential of the area, she suggested converting an existing traditional tribal structure into a homestay facility to generate local employment and promote rural tourism. She also directed Zilla Parishad officials to repair a dilapidated government-owned Anganwadi building and shift the existing centre, currently operating from rented premises, into the renovated structure.


To improve connectivity, the Executive Engineer of PWD (Jawhar) was instructed to prepare and submit a proposal for a bridge on the Gatepada-Ayare route under the District Planning Committee.


Restoring Work

Reviewing water conservation structures constructed by the Forest Department, Jakhar directed officials to prioritise repairs and restoration of existing gabion and check dams before proposing new projects. Desilting and restoration work, she noted, would improve water storage capacity ahead of the monsoon and benefit local farmers.


Similar instructions were issued to the Minor Irrigation Department, Zilla Parishad and Water Conservation Department to focus on repairing and strengthening existing structures. She also proposed planning future bridge-cum-barrage projects to simultaneously improve water conservation and rural connectivity.


Bridging Gaps

In Mokhada, the Collector inaugurated a newly established Aadhaar and Maha e-Seva Centre within the Tehsil office premises. The facility is expected to make services such as Aadhaar enrolment, caste certificates, income certificates and domicile certificates more accessible to residents of remote tribal villages.


At Hanuman Point, one of Jawhar’s most visited tourist destinations, Jakhar stressed the importance of cleanliness and visitor management. She directed the municipal administration to improve sanitation, install proper signboards and strengthen waste management systems. Directions were also issued to address garbage accumulation across Jawhar town and implement a plastic-free campaign.


Acknowledging that several villages continue to face seasonal isolation during the monsoon, the Collector directed officials to prepare a comprehensive district-wide plan for unconnected roads. She also instructed authorities to prepare a tourism development plan for Bhopatgad, another site with significant tourism potential.


The final stop of the visit was Jawhar Camping at Dhaparpada, a community-led tourism initiative supported by the Tribal Development Department. Developed with assistance provided to a local self-help group, the project has begun attracting visitors from Mumbai, Nashik and Gujarat through online bookings.

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