PremiumIn order to resume Mumbai local train services, the city's civic body on Tuesday said that offline verification procedure for COVID-19 vaccination and issuing Local Railway Monthly Pass will begin from tomorrow, 11 August from 7 am at suburban railway stations.
"This offline process of issuing monthly season pass will continue on all seven days of the week till further orders and therefore citizens need not rush to the railway stations," said BMC chief IS Chahal.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) earlier released a number of guidelines for boarding local trains, which are slated to commence from 15 August.
Those who completed 14 days after COVID second dose to get passes, it added. Citizens also need to carry COVID-19 vaccination final certificate hard copy, Photo ID.
358 help desks will be set up at 53 stations in Mumbai Municipal Corp area.
Citizens can approach the station nearest to their house for verification and should avoid crowding," it said. The BMC warned that strict legal action will be taken if fake vaccination certificates are produced to obtain passes.
Here are more details on Mumbai local trains:
Chahal has given the following detailed information regarding the procedure.:
-Offline verification process will be started at 53 suburban railway stations in BMC jurisdiction area. These includes stations on the Central, Western and Harbour Line too.
-This offline verification facility will be available at 109 local railway stations in the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR Region) including surrounding cities to Mumbai Metropolis.
-On approaching the ticket window at the railway station, citizens can find the help desks set up by the Brihanmumbal Municipal Corporation (or the concerned Municipal Corporation / Municipal Council / Local Self Government). These help desks will be functional in two consecutive sessions, that is from 7 am to 3 pm and from 3 pm to 11 pm.
-The BMC (or concerned Local Self Government) staff at the help desk will check the validity of the Final Vaccination Certificate (Second Dose) of the concerned citizen on the Cowin app. They will also check the photo ID proof. Once the verification is completed and both the documents are found to be valid, the certificate and the identification proof will be stamped in the prescribed format.
-The stamped Covid Certificate shall be presented at the ticket window at the railway station. Railway Monthly Pass will be issued by Railway, accordingly on its basis. However, this pass-based travel facility will be valid from 15th August 2021 only and not before that.
-Citizens who have not been administered even a single dose or have been administered only one dose of the covid-19 vaccine, will not be allowed to travel on suburban trains at present.
-Considering the population of Mumbai Metropolis and Mumbai Region, the number of ticket windows at suburban railway stations will be the same as the number of help desks. Also, verification facility will be available for 16 hours i.e. from 7 am to 11 pm. Therefore, eligible citizens must go to their nearest railway station. However, a humble appeal is being made to the citizens to not crowd unnecessarily.
-Strict police action under the Epidemic Control Act / Disaster Management Act/ Indian Penal Code, will be taken if a citizen tries to produce fake/ bogus Covid Vaccination Certificate.
-Government / Semi-Government and other Employees in Essential Services will be allowed to travel by local trains as per the prevailing practice, irrespective of Covid Vaccination. Therefore, they are permitted to travel on suburban trains on a regular basis.
-All Municipal Corporations / Municipal Councils / Local Self Government Institutions in Mumbai Metropolitan Region have been directed to make similar arrangements from tomorrow. Therefore, the residents of the respective areas must go to the nearest railway station and complete the procedure duly.
-The process of making this facility available online is underway. However, it may take a little more time. The offline process will continue until further notice. Therefore, we appeal to the citizens to co-operate by not crowding and letting citizens obtain passes / tickets who need it more, in a step by step and organised manner. Also, once the online process starts, obtaining Railway Monthly Pass will be easier. The same will also continue till further instructions are issued.
-The BMC has also appointed Nodal Officers for smooth implementation of the entire process. Necessary training is also being given to the staff.
Further, arrangements will be made at 65 railway stations in Mumbai, where quick response or QR code-based passes will be issued to people who have taken both doses of COVID-19 vaccine and wish to travel in suburban local trains, city mayor Kishori Pednekar said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had announced that fully vaccinated citizens can travel in local trains from August 15, but a gap of 14 days from the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine is necessary to avail the facility.
Speaking to reporters, the mayor said, "Citizens should not indulge in altercations, as long queues are likely at ticket counters. People should cooperate and follow the COVID-19 norms." Pednekar further said that arrangements are being made to issue QR code-based passes to passengers at 65 railway stations that come under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) jurisdiction. The state government had restricted local train travel to government employees and people employed in essential service staffers, since April 2021, to control the COVID-19 spread during the second wave.
When asked about Ganeshotsav Kruti Samiti's demand of permitting fully-vaccinated citizens to participate in Ganpati immersion processions, the mayor said the chief minister will take a decision in the matter after consulting the COVID-19 task force. The mayor also warned hotel and restaurant owners of strict action if COVID-19 rules are not strictly followed. "Even if hotels and restaurants are allowed to function till 10 pm, the rules must be strictly followed. If the rules are not followed, the owners may land in trouble," she said.
The state government has appealed to the Centre to increase the supply of vaccines, and the authorities are also focusing on ways to increase vaccination through CSR funds.
Meanwhile, the financial capital on Monday reported 208 coronavirus positive cases, the lowest addition in a day after April last year, and three fatalities for the second time this month, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said.
A total of 372 patients were discharged during the day, which raised the number of recoveries in Mumbai so far to 7,15,389, he said. Mumbai's average recovery rate now stands at 97 per cent. With new additions, Mumbai's tally of COVID-19 infections and fatalities reached 7,37,724 and 15,954, respectively, he said. Mumbai has been reporting below 500 cases for the last 25 days.
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