Despite Covid-19 third wave, Mumbai's lifeline stays on track

Commuters wait on the platform as a local train enters Dadar station, on Sunday. Pic/Ashish Raje

Mumbai's local trains have managed to stay on track through the third Covid-19 wave by avoiding any possible restrictions. Railway officials said that increased and sustained action against the mask-less and commuters not following Covid-appropriate behaviour helped run the city's lifeline smoothly.

"Mumbai local trains are the lifeline of the city and the common man's transport. The state government has already given elaborate instructions over issuance of tickets and passes through the mandated Universal Pass. In addition, the number of fully vaccinated people has been on the rise. We stepped up drives against the mask-less and were also authorised by the state government to fine offenders under the relevant Sections of the Disaster Management Act to keep the epidemic under control," a senior official said.

"On the Mumbai division of Central Railway, the ticket checking staff fined more than 793 commuters since January 1 for not wearing a mask or wearing one improperly [and collected Rs 1,59,350]. This is in addition to the action taken by the BMC teams on the railways premise," a CR spokesperson said. The ticket checkers acted against 4,563 violators across CR, collecting a fine of Rs 7,74,430. On the Mumbai division of Western Railway, Rs 54,600 was collected from 446 mask-less commuters since January 1.

Commuters' organisations thanked the authorities for being "sensible" this time. "It is really not always necessary to shut down, but control and curbs are a good way to keep things under check. Many work and earn on a daily basis. The railways is the lifeline of so many poor, working class, who otherwise would not have been able to reach their workplace. The road conditions are already pathetic," Madhu Kotian, president, Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, said.