mumbai

Updated: Dec 01, 2016 09:40 IST

An escalator worth Rs1 crore installed at Vasai Road platform 2— the east side of the north foot over bridge (FOB) — has been non-operational since August 22. One of 21 new facilities inaugurated by Union railway minister Suresh Prabhu in July, during his short trip to Mumbai, the escalator has been gathering dust over the past several months.

The Western Railways has not addressed the problem yet.

Commuters said the non-functional escalator was an inconvenience. “What is the point of having an escalator that has not been working since August?” asked Kirtan Upadhayay, a Vasai resident.

Ravinder Bhakar, chief public relations officer, WR said the escalator was non-functional, owing to power fluctuations and frequent load-shedding in the area.

“The escalator had to be reset many times during power cuts,” said Bhakar.

“A few days ago, the issue came up at a meeting of top officials. We are making attempts to restart the escalator. However, it is not viable for us to appoint a person full-time and pay him just to sit at the spot and reset the machine each time it stops. We are thinking of training a few locals from the commercial department to reset the machine when there are power cuts and it malfunctions,” said Bhakar.

However, he declined to provide a time frame within which the machine would be repaired.