Mumbai: Thanks to Titwala man, MP Manoj Kotak raises local train delays

Shekhar Kapure issued a show-cause notice to the CR for delays in the train schedule

On the day a commuter's show-cause notice to the Central Railway for delays in train schedule made news, BJP MP from Mumbai North East Manoj Kotak raised the issue in the Parliament on the very first day. Kotak highlighted the consistent delays on the route for the past 15 days.

"The Central Railway is usually affected by the rains but the timetable of has collapsed even before the monsoon for the past 15 days. I request the authorities to set it right and seek to draw the attention of the Parliament to the issue," Kotak said in the zero hour of the Parliament. The punctuality issue has been plaguing the Central Railway for a while now, with the commuters being badly hit. A Titwala-based commuter thus issued a show-cause notice to the CR over delays that led to salary cuts for him.

Manoj Kotak

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A number of commuter organisations too have planned to conduct a meeting at Diva on Saturday to decide on an action plan to address the issue. On Friday evening too, the electric loco of the Deccan Queen failed at Thane leading to disruption of services. A diesel locomotive had to be attached to take the train ahead.

Commuters have been expressing anger over social media and through complaints. The Central Railway, however, is currently functioning without a full-time General Manager and has so far ignored the issue and the complaints.

Commuters have been complaining on social media platforms about the delays

There has been a significant rise in snags and failures and with the onset of the monsoon, there are fears of the situation worsening. Commuters have also been complaining of open roofs at many stations and the slow pace of engineering works adding to overall inconvenience.

Also read: Mumbai: Titwala baby rescued after kidnapper fails in second try

The show-cause notice
Shekhar Kapure, 59, a retired teacher, sent a show-cause notice to the CR after his salary was deducted for reaching late to work. Working for a labour union office in Currey Road, Kapure resides in Titwala and spends around four hours commuting to and from his office.

Last week, the trains were late every day, alleged Kapure, who lost two days of his salary since he had reached office late for four straight days. "I faced a loss of R450, which is a crucial amount for me. My senior says I should leave early from home. But I reach home late too as I face the same train snags in the evening. Why should we lose our family time and hard-earned money because of the railways' fault?" Kapure told mid-day on Thursday.

Also read: Mumbai: Titwala man to take railways to court for delays

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