today

Hopefully, all will be done by 30th June - as planned.

Most of the work was done at Borivali, Mira road and Bhayander stations by the end of the Megablock.

But as of yet, the new tracks haven't been laid. The sleepers, the concrete blocks that are the foundation of the tracks, have been laid at Mira Road station though the rails are missing. No workers were to be seen all day [29th May] from Virar to Borivali.

Dinesh Chorghe, Station Manager at Mira road said, "New tracks will only be laid in the month of June. For now, the necessary work has been done."

Sources said that the signal work that has to be completed requires time. It is the job of perfection which cannot be totalled without the passage of time.

Souces also said that the laying of tracks is one of the minor things as the railway government now has the machinery to lay the tracks. "Not much man power is required since the machines actually place the rails on the right place and the fitting is done," said Dhananjay Gajbhiye, one of the workers at the Bhayander station.

The residents of North Mumbai will have to face the problems for some more days or may be till the end of June.

Several parts of Mumbai and its suburbs today [29th May] experienced pre-monsoon showers. The weather bureau said in Mumbai that more localised showers are expected in the next 24 hours and that the monsoon is expected to hit the city in a week's time.

The south-west monsoon which hit Kerala yesterday has already progressed further today into coastal Karnataka up to Karwar and interior parts of Karnataka and some parts of Tamil Nadu.

I hope that the track quadrupling may not be affected unduly.

At any rate I hope we will get a good monsoon this year, with plenty of rain at the right time and in the right places. This for example may prevent vegetable prices from rising and ensure plentiful fresh water for all.