Maharashtra Government decides to allow the general public to travel in local trains in Mumbai from Feb 1
Maharashtra Government decides to allow the general public to travel in local trains
Keeping in view crowd management in the wake of COVID-19 situation, the Maharashtra Government has decided to allow the general public to travel in local trains in Mumbai from February 1, 2021, during non-peak hours in fixed time slots. The decision was taken after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's review meeting on the issue of resumption of suburban train services, considered as the lifeline of Mumbai.
To avoid overcrowding in the local trains, the State Government has decided that the general public will be allowed to travel during non-peak hours from the start of services for the day to 7 a.m., between 12 noon and 4 p.m. and then again from 9 p.m. to the closure of the services for the day.
At present, in wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, only some categories of commuters, such as women and those providing essential services, are allowed to travel by local trains in Mumbai. The suburban train services were suspended in March-end last year due to the pandemic and gradually resumed from June 2020.
According to the order issued, the State Government has also directed that shops will be allowed to operate till 11 p.m. while restaurants will be allowed to operate till 1 a.m. However, it further said that the 30 per cent limit for staff will continue to be in force and these establishments will be allowed to operate as per the SOPs issued by the State Government.
The decision to resume Mumbai locals comes minutes after the Maharashtra Government extended its lockdown restrictions till February 28, 2021. The statement by the State Government said that activities already allowed and permitted from time to time shall be continued and will remain in force up to February 28, 2021.
The order also said that the State Government authorities will also be requesting all the establishments to stagger their work schedule in a manner wherein their staff will be able to avail the services of the local trains as per the timings permitted by the government.