Mumbai is gearing up for the annual Mahaparinirvana Divas on December 6, with thousands of devotees gearing up to pay homage to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar. To ensure smooth transportation and crowd management, extensive arrangements have been made across the city’s rail and bus networks, Central and Western Railways and Brihanmumbai Power Supply and Transport (BEST) have established special measures for the occasion.
Dadar, a major transit hub for devotees is trying for an increase in footfall, with daily passenger numbers expected to rise from 75-80 lakh to around 90-95 lakh. To manage this surge, railway authorities have announced effective route diversions and access restrictions from midnight of December 5 to midnight of December 6.
Main pedestrian routes such as the central large bridge connecting the central and west railway platforms will remain open for platform transfers only, while the skywalk bridge will cater to passengers entering or exiting the station from the east or west.
The Railways is also running 16 special mail and express trains from December 4 to December 8, connecting major locations like Nagpur, Amravati, Kalaburgi, and Adilabad to Mumbai. 12 additional suburban train services on December 5 and 6 midnight covering routes like Parel-Kurla-Thane and Kurla-Vashi-Panvel. Special ticket counters and help desks have been set up at major stations including Dadar, CSMT, and Kalyan.
A strong crowd management system has been allocated, 675 ticket checking staff and additional RPF and GRP staff have been deployed at selected stations. Barricades and holding areas have been set up at Dadar and CSMT to streamline the movement of passengers. Regular announcements and directional banners have been arranged to guide the devotees while providing facilities like drinking water, clean toilets, wheelchairs, emergency medical services. Temporary platform tickets will be issued selectively at major stations to avoid overcrowding.
BEST has also started special bus services from December 4 to December 7, which run between Dadar Railway Station and Chaityabhoomi every 15-20 minutes. Additional buses have been deployed on routes passing through Dadar to ensure uninterrupted access to the event.
For convenience, the temporary daily bus fare is Rs. 60 are offered to devotees going to Chaityabhoomi. Bus supervisors and conductors will be deployed at key locations to assist passengers, while additional buses will operate on dedicated routes to accommodate increased demand.
BEST and railway authorities have closely coordinated with municipal and state government officials to ensure smooth running of all operations. Additionally, crowd management officers and intelligence personnel will monitor the situation on the ground, ensuring timely intervention in case of emergency.