Local trains to start for everyone? Maharashtra government says there are no objections to increasing frequency

Thousands of commuters in Mumbai and suburban areas could get a great deal of relief as the Maharashtra Government has said that local train services can be used by the general public as long as they wear masks and follow social distancing rules.

However, a final decision on this has not yet been made.

The presentation was made by General Counsel Ashutosh Kumbhakoni in the Bombay High Court during the hearing on a lot of petitions seeking direction to the state government to include lawyers and their staff in essential services so they can use the local trains.

The high court had previously ruled that rail services should correspond with the partial lifting of the blockade and suggested an increase in the frequency of local trains in Mumbai to control overcrowding.

Currently, local train services are not available to all travelers. Only those who are part of the essential services staff, state and central government personnel are among those who have been able to travel by train. The limited number of trains in the middle of COVID-19 The pandemic is also causing overcrowding, and social distancing rules are breaking down.

On the other hand, several office goers, who are not in the essential categories, have to travel on MSRTC buses or in private vehicles, which not only takes seven to eight hours to get to and from home, it is also expensive.

The court has also been informed that the state government has no objection now to increasing the frequency of local trains in Mumbai.

However, Kumbhakoni said that people do not wear masks and do not maintain social distancing, adding: “The coronavirus has not booked a return ticket. It is here to stay. Therefore, people should be careful.”

According to a news agency, he also gave an example of the late singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, who became infected with COVID-19 ‘due to an error when sharing a microphone with another person.

He added that it is almost as if people would rather wear an oxygen mask in a hospital ICU bed than a mask (to cover their nose and mouth).

The court observed that it is the duty of the state government to enforce the guidelines of safety regulations and social distancing rules.

He also suggested staggered office hours to decrease rush hours on trains to ensure that not all of them end up at the train station at the same time.

The bank has published the matter for an additional hearing on October 19.