Activist Seeks Joint Inspection Over Maintenance at Seawoods-Darave Station
Commuters and local representatives have raised concerns over poor maintenance, garbage accumulation, and inadequate passenger amenities at the Seawoods-Darave railway station in Navi Mumbai, urging authorities to conduct an immediate joint inspection.
The demand follows Central Railway's recent takeover of the operation and maintenance of the remaining 14 CIDCO-operated railway stations in Navi Mumbai, completing the transfer of all 17 stations to the national transporter. The stations handed over include Seawoods-Darave, Vashi, Sanpada, Juinagar, Nerul, CBD Belapur, Kharghar, Mansarovar, Khandeshwar, Airoli, Rabale, Ghansoli, Koparkhairane, and Turbhe.
Advocate Chandrakant Shankar Nikam, president of the Kolhapur District Residents' Social Passenger Association, Samata Sahakarya Social Institution, and Navi Mumbai Cooperative Advocates' Association, has called for corrective measures and an inspection of the Seawoods-Darave premises.
Nikam stated that despite Seawoods developing into a modern commercial hub with major malls and complexes, the railway station suffers from waterlogging, accumulated plastic waste, discarded clothing, construction debris, overgrown vegetation, and unauthorised writing and advertisements on walls. He also raised concerns regarding poorly maintained pedestrian pathways, stairways, and inadequate illumination on the station nameboard.
Highlighting that responsibilities around the station complex involve multiple bodies including Central Railway, CIDCO, L&T, and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, Nikam stressed that agencies must coordinate rather than shift accountability. He requested a joint inspection involving Central Railway officials, including the Divisional Railway Manager, alongside representatives from the other entities.
Nikam has sought a comprehensive action plan specifying assigned departments or contractors, commencement and completion dates, and designated monitoring officers, followed by a formal compliance report. The requested review spans ticketing facilities, cleanliness, water leakage, toilets, and accessibility for women, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.
A senior Central Railway officer stated that the administration is currently assessing issues at individual station complexes across Navi Mumbai to prepare tailored plans of action, noting that a schedule will be established to resolve site-specific issues following the recent handover.
