Think beyond Mumbai, let students on trains: Rail passengers tell government

Local trains in far-flung suburbs, which are semi-rural areas, are the only affordable means of travel. File pic

Commuter bodies from far-flung suburbs are telling the state government to think of people living beyond Mumbai in a letter that seeks to highlight the plight of students.

"Schools and colleges of higher education and technical ITIs (industrial training institutes) outside Mumbai limits have resumed and students staying at places beyond Thane and Virar find it difficult to commute in the absence of local trains as local road transport infrastructure is weak. If they cannot restart locals immediately, railways must at least allow these kids to travel in trains," Shailesh Raut of Kalyan-Kasara Railway Passengers Welfare Association said.

"The unavailability of local trains is leading to mental and physical harassment and the government should be more considerate. Besides physical exertion, the commute to and from school/colleges is also leading to a huge expense daily, which is unaffordable," he said.

"Most of the schools outside Mumbai have begun classes Std V onwards and so have colleges and ITIs. But the restricted access to local trains is proving to be a major handicap and causing students to drop out from institutions, leading to the loss of an academic year," said another association member, Umesh ‘sir' Vishe.

Education officials said that while it did not order institutions in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region to open, local councils in Thane rural and adjoining areas had been given the responsibility to make decisions in these matters and the institutions had been allowed to open with restrictions. Mumbai suburban railway extends all the way to Kasara, 120-km-away.

"Since these are semi-rural belts, stations here are very far apart and public transport is inadequate. Life mostly depends on railways. The railways should include students in the list of permitted categories on suburban trains," Vishe added. Railways and Maharashtra government officials did not comment on record but said that a decision regarding public access to local trains would be taken soon.