Khar residents in Mumbai complain of constant honking by trains

A house close to a railway station is always considered a luxury, but for 150 families staying at a residential society in Khar, staying in proximity of a railway station is proving to be hindarance. Residents of Jai Bharat society who are in close proximity  to both Bandra and Khar stations have said, after the local train services resumed to ferry essential service workers, honking by trains has increased so much that it is affecting their day-to-day life.

While rail officials said that honking is aimed at ensuring safety and not irritating the residents, the latter maintained they are finding it difficult to go about their business as usual due to the incessant interruptions even though very few trains are plying.The society residents have taken to Twitter, tagging Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, and putting up videos of passing trains.They have claimed that the trains, unlike the protocol followed during the pre-lockdown times, do not stop after one or two whistle but keep on honking while running between Bandra and Khar.

Nikhil Desai (58), who lives in the society with his wife and daughter, said: “The honking continues for 15 to 20 seconds with each passing train.”He added that as the stretch has two stations close to each other and also a level crossing gate, the trains would always honk once while passing, but it was never a problem earlier. Another resident, Atul Shah (60), a doctor, said: “We can’t even listen to our patients on call because of it. It noise starts early morning and is more than 100 decibels.” While residents have been assured on Twitter that their complaints would be looked into, officials from Western Railway (WR) called it a routine affair. Chief PRO of WR, Sumit Thakur, said, “Whistling is as per norm while entering and leaving the stations.”