Updated on: Sept 03, 2025 02:24 am IST
According to estimates by authorities, around 4-4.5 tonnes of trash have been dumped at CSMT in the last four days.
MUMBAI: Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil ended his hunger strike at 6.06pm on Tuesday. Protesters, on the other hand, began celebrating much earlier at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). Many of them were also rushing to catch local and long-distance trains from CSMT to their homes, even as discussions between the state government and Jarange-Patil were underway. Trains from CSMT ran with delays of 10-15 minutes on Tuesday, which officials said is expected to be normalised on Wednesday.
Wearing saffron caps and scarves, around 20-25 thousand protesters had been present in significant numbers at the CSMT since the agitation began on August 29. They were seen resting, sleeping, dancing, singing, shouting slogans, playing games, and eating food at the station. On Tuesday, the fifth day of the protest, security agencies began evacuating protesters from the CSMT premises. Railway police made continuous announcements through microphones at the CSMT concourse and platforms, asking protesters to vacate the station premises immediately after alighting from local trains, in accordance with a Bombay High Court decision. Authorities also prevented them from sitting on the platforms. The area was then cleared of barricades and enclosures.
Meanwhile, the Central Railway (CR) authorities got around to cleaning the station premises. According to CR officials, on average, at least one lakh commuters arrive and depart every 15 minutes at the CSMT station. “We have already collected 1.5 tonnes of garbage and filth from rail tracks and platforms at the CSMT in just one day. This is almost the same as what we collect in a week,” said a CR official.
According to estimates by authorities, around 4-4.5 tonnes of trash have been dumped at CSMT in the last four days. The rail authorities are using garbage bins with a 20-litre capacity and mechanised cleaning machines to clean the terminus. “We have deployed 200 staff to clean the station. There would usually be around 80 staff,” the official added.
Meanwhile, special trains came into play to accommodate the swelling crowd of protesters inside the station. “We ran four special trains to Vashi, Belapur, and Panvel on the Harbour line to clear the crowd,” said another CR official. These trains continued to run with a speed restriction of less than 5 kmph while entering and departing CSMT.
