01 November,2021 07:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
The state has also allowed people below 18 years to travel on local trains. Pic/Ashish Raje
Heeding widespread discontent and protests by commuters, the Maharashtra government has permitted single-journey tickets for local train travel in the city for fully vaccinated citizens. The Central Railway moved swiftly saying it would open a few ticket-vending machines with physical validators to authenticate vaccination certificates, while the Western Railway said it was yet to take a decision on the ticket machines. Through a letter to the railways on the night of October 30, the state government paved the way for single-journey local tickets for the fully vaccinated.
"Full vaccination is now mandatory, essential workers or not. Tickets would be given to all those who have completed 14 days after two vaccines, those who have an outstation train ticket, going for any government-recognised exams on showing exam hall ticket, or for the vaccine on showing a CoWin appointment and all those under 18," a senior official said. "It would be better if commuters procure universal pass, which is available for all those eligible, as it will avoid the last-minute hassle of stamping the certificate," he added.
Commuters wait for a local train at Thane station. File pic
In its official order, the state government said, "It has been decided to permit all citizens who are fully vaccinated as per the definition of the state government to travel in local trains. As one-time ticketing was allowed on long-distance passenger trains before too, this relaxation means that all fully vaccinated citizens may travel in local and passenger trains on all routes and through all kinds of tickets that may be issued by railways, including daily ticketing."
"Being fully vaccinated would be the only mandatory condition for issuance of any kind of tickets for travel in the trains. It is emphasized that railways must ensure that only fully vaccinated persons are travelling in trains and this is irrespective of whether a traveller is engaged or not engaged in essential services," it added. Up until now, only passes were being issued to commuters wanting to travel on Mumbai's suburban trains as per an earlier directive from the Maharashtra government after which the railway authorities stopped issuing daily tickets to essential workers and government employees.
Mumbai's local train services resumed for fully vaccinated passengers on August 15. But in the absence of single-journey tickets, the decision wasn't of much help for thousands of commuters. In the past two and a half months, passenger bodies had repeatedly urged the government to let fully vaccinated citizens buy single-journey tickets.
Amid a sharp rise in ticketless travel in the absence of daily tickets, the Western Railway recovered fines of Rs 40.9 lakh from such commuters on October 30, its highest-ever collection. "This record has been achieved due to meticulous planning and execution by the Commercial as well as Security Departments of the Division. The previous such highest daily figure was registered in October 2019 when an amount of Rs 28.25 lakh was recovered," WR chief PR officer Sumit Thakur said.
