PUNE: The general public’s wait to board local trains in Maharashtra may get prolonged with the Central Railway still hesitant to allow access to one and all, despite the state government’s “serious considerations”.
State home minister Anil Deshmukh told TOI, “We had to put the plan on hold as we had feared a major spike in Covid cases post-Diwali. The move is being seriously considered by the state government and a decision will be taken soon.” The Central Railway had rejected a similar proposal by the state government in October.
A senior railway official said, “The state government cannot force or unilaterally decide that all passengers be allowed aboard local trains. They can request us and we then forward the same request to the railway board which further takes it to the ministry of railways and the ministry of home affairs (MHA). It is the MHA which gives an approval following which things roll back to us and then to the state government. Generally, requests from the state government on increasing trains and others gets approved fast without much delay. It is the state government which knows better about the current Covid situation of their state. If the request from the state government on the above comes, we will forward it to the railway board and the same will finally go to the MHA and they will decide whether an approval should be given on not which will, in turn, be intimated to the state government.”
The Central Railway’s chief public relations officer (CPRO), Shivaji Sutar, told TOI that they had not received any fresh proposal from the state government.
Another official with the Central Railway said they had requested a meeting with the state government. “We cannot suddenly allow everyone on the trains. The state government has to take full responsibility of ensuring social distancing,” he said.
Two local trains between the city and Lonavla were started from October 12 in the Pune division, but only those with QR code passes issued by local administration are allowed aboard the trains.
At present, both the Central and Western railways have been running 2,000 local trains in Mumbai and its suburbs. However, only those engaged in essential services, as notified by the state government, are allowed to access the service. In Mumbai, women were recently allowed to travel in these trains during designated time slots.
People, who earlier used to take locals, now have to use their personal vehicles to reach their offices. “In trains like Deccan Queen or Pragati Express, which are operating, one needs to have a confirmed ticket. How many daily travellers will have the time to look for a confirmed ticket?,” wonders Ravindra Raut, who travels between Talegaon and Mumbai on his two-wheeler.
Dilip Holkar, who travels from Khedgaon to Pune on his bike, echoed the sentiments. “It’s an endless wait even with some services having resumed. The state government must act fast,” he said.