Green Signal For Opening Mumbai Local For All This Week; Will Women, Children Be Allowed?

On Friday, Maharashtra government told Bombay High Court that it is likely to take a decision on whether to allow all persons to board suburban local trains next week.

Deliberations To Accommodate The Common Man:-

In the light of Covid pandemic, high level deliberations are going on in the state government on as to how accommodations for the common man, other than those who are involved in essential services, can be made in regards to using local trains as well as how to how to manage the crowd.

The state government responded to a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish S Kulkarni. This bench was hearing public interest litigations (PILs) filed by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa (BCMG), and other lawyers. They have requested and sought direction to the state in order to consider the practicing advocates as essential service providers, eventually allowing them to travel by local trains to attend hearings.

The state government would take a decision by January 12 and inform about the same, said Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni. Bench adjourned the meeting in the light of this.

Hardships For Commuters Due To Closure:-

Unfathomable hardship for residents of Mumbai has been caused for over a period of nine months now, due to the partial closure of Mumbai’s suburban train system. This is due to the fact that suburban train services play a vital role in facilitating the north-south movement of the city’s workforce.

Inter-district travel of commuters in five districts — Mumbai, Mumbai suburban, Thane, Palghar and Raigad is also facilitated by the local train service.

Especially the poor among all others have been affected the most by the nation’s largest commuter train network’s partial closure. As they attempt to reach Mumbai, the daily commute time of most of the city’s workforce, who stay in far from commercial business districts has doubled.