October 06, 2025: For over 3,000 residents of Panju, a 300-acre island in Vasai Creek, every trip to Naigaon railway station is fraught with danger. On September 27, 25-year-old Sanjay Bhoir crossed the narrow Vasai Creek railway bridge, which runs alongside two tracks, to reach the station. Like many islanders, Bhoir relied on the slim concrete strip meant for railway maintenance, facing speeding trains and flying debris.
“When he was halfway across the bridge, a coconut flung from a passing local train hit his head. He collapsed instantly,” recounted his cousin Raviraj Bhoir. By the time he reached Vasai for a CT scan, nearly five hours had passed. He died the following day, leaving behind two mentally challenged siblings now cared for by relatives.
Panju may seem idyllic, with single-storey homes, two temples, a crematorium, and small shops, but the reality of daily life is stark. Nearly 60% of young residents commute outside the island for work in factories, malls, and offices across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Most cannot afford the Rs 20 ferry ride twice daily, forcing them to traverse the treacherous bridge.
The bridge offers only minimal protection: seven poles with small buffer zones where pedestrians duck as trains pass. Villagers have developed their own survival strategies, covering their heads and pressing against poles, yet they remain vulnerable to debris from passing trains. Raviraj Bhoir said, “Still, there is no protection as objects flung out of trains coming from the opposite direction, which could hit them. That is how Sanjay was killed.”
Senior police inspector Manisha Ravkhane confirmed multiple injuries over the past years, including a woman whose jaw was sliced by a coin and another who lost an ear after being struck by a photo frame. The GRP has repeatedly requested authorities to construct an approach road and conduct awareness programs to prevent such accidents.
Earlier proposals, including a Rs 90-crore island tourism plan and a Rs 1,600-crore Coastal Road project connecting Panju, were shelved. With no alternative access, Panju residents continue to risk their lives on the “bridge that kills,” relying on courage, instinct, and minimal safety measures to commute daily.
Source: Hindustan Times
