The ninth day of Navratri started on a sad note for Mumbaikars. As many as twenty-two lives were lost and several people were left injured in the stampede at the over-bridge between Elphinstone Road and Parel.
The news left all shocked and the mishap could’ve been avoided had the governance was not this negligent. Commuters have been complaining about the poor conditions of the bridges since years but no action has been taken.
Shocked at #MumbaiStampede. Deepest condolences to the dead. Govt knew bridge cud cause disaster pic.twitter.com/SaRTkRvu7A
— Raj Babbar (@RajBabbarMP) September 29, 2017
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences and said that proper action would be taken.
https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/913668678926790657
Situation in Mumbai is being continuously monitored. @PiyushGoyal is in Mumbai taking stock of the situation & ensuring all assistance.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 29, 2017
Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis announced ex gratia of ₹5 lakh.
₹5 lakh announced for the next of the kins of deceased and all the medical expenses of the injured will be borne by GoM.#Elphinstone
— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) September 29, 2017
The social media is abuzz with reactions.
1. Shekhar Kapur questioned the government’s working.
Nowhere do extremes between wealth n poverty show more than in Mumbai. Costliest real estate in world and human tragedies like #elphinstone
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) September 29, 2017
Our politics today are measured in the cost of human lives #elphinstone
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) September 29, 2017
2. It indeed was.
https://twitter.com/hankypanty/status/913669001808670720
3. Mr. Chandra also expressed his sadness.
Saddened by the loss of lives in #Elphinstone. My thoughts are with kin of deceased & I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured.
— Subhash Chandra (@subhashchandra) September 29, 2017
4. Would it not?
I think the government would take this seriously if 15 cows died instead
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) September 29, 2017
5. Rahul Gandhi too said how tragic it was.
Deeply pained to know about the tragic stampede at #Elphinstone station. My thoughts with the families of the victims
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 29, 2017
It was then netizens who started pointing out how it was the sheer negligence that caused the unfortunate accident.
1. People have been tweeting since years.
Tweeted this 2-3 days back and today 3 people are reportedly dead and several injured. #Elphinstone #Parel station @RailMinIndia https://t.co/f67LCOVAFl
— Aparajita (@aparajita_k) September 29, 2017
2. They are urging the Govt. to take action.
This Govt does not value the life of Mumbaikars! #Elphinstone demands a reaction from the Citizens. Enough of taking us granted. Take Action
— Priyaj Nabar (@Mechinama) September 29, 2017
3. It didn’t come as a surprise to the commuters, which is sad in itself.
During rush hour, this is what Parel foot over bridge is like. The stampede at #elphinstone comes as no surprise pic.twitter.com/Yr71Legufh
— Santosh Nair (@sant0nair) September 29, 2017
4. No city does.
Mumbai doesn't deserve this..
Mr. @Dev_Fadnavis #Elphinstone— SANTOshinde (@santoshinde) September 29, 2017
5. Setting the priorities straight is truly important.
#Elphinstone
We should focus on improving current rail situation rather than bullet train. Who is accountable for this tragedy?— Vinit (@vinitkumar_p) September 29, 2017
6. Like, making it Prabhadevi Station helped A LOT!
What Mumbai needs:
Better infrastructure.What Mumbai gets:
Name changes. #Elphinstone— Mihir Bijur (@MihirBijur) September 29, 2017
7. People started sharing their woes.
It's scary to walk on d crowded railway bridges durng peak hours, be it Borivali, Malad, Dadar, Kurla etc. Cant even breathe. #elphinstone
— Roshni Olivera (@RoshniOlivera) September 29, 2017
8. True.
If we focused on improving our stations rather than renaming them, this tragic stampede may not have happened #Prabhadevi #Elphinstone
— Sitaraman Shankar (@shankarsview) September 29, 2017
9. They were waiting for it to happen.
It happened finally, stampede at #Parel #Elphinstone stations. Fatal Stampede in peak hours. Wake up #IndianRailways planners. @PiyushGoyal
— Dharmendra Jore (@dharmendrajore) September 29, 2017
10. Spot the difference.
https://twitter.com/DhruvrajCFC/status/913716479916351488
11. So is every Mumbaikar.
Looking forward to 3600 crore Shivaji Statue to help keep the “Spirit of Mumbai” high. @PMOIndia
— Aakash Kumar Rai (@AakashKumarRai1) September 29, 2017
12. This user had a different take on the situation.
https://twitter.com/sagarcasm/status/913679433617244160
Netizens are venting it out on social media, and we think it is high time that their voices fall upon the ears of the decision-makers instead of deaf ears (like it has been, so far.)