Are Mumbai local trains working during Janta Curfew? Here's an update on services

In a big step to contain the spread of coronavirus, Maharashtra restricted travel on Mumbai's suburban local trains to only government personnel engaged in the provision of essential services from Sunday. In a late-night release on Saturday, the Konkan divisional commissioner informed ID cards of people will be checked at every station.

Maharashtra has recorded 64 cases of coronavirus so far, including 19 in Mumbai. According to an aerlier press release, only 1,100 trains out of 1,774 trains will run on the Central line on Sunday. 674 of them have been cancelled. On the Western Line, out of 1,278 trains, only 801 trains will be function. The remaining 477 have been cancelled.

"Those, who are working for the essential services including government workers will be allowed to travel in Mumbai local trains. At every station the ID card of people will be checked. A team of officers from police, GRP, revenue officer and health officer will be deployed to check ID cards," stated a notification.

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Certain exemptions

The release by divisional commissioner Shivaji Daund further stated that apart from the government officials involved in the provision of essential services (who will have to produce their id-cards), only those who need urgent medical aid would be allowed to travel. Those who are traveling by local train to reach railway terminus for boarding a long-distance train will also be allowed on inspection of their journey tickets.

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Tight security

According to the notice, the health officer will have a thermal gun to check the temperature of the train's passengers. The revenue officer will check the ID card and record it. The police will do do the verification and authenticity of the passengers. Such measures will be taken in the city where more than 75 lakh people commute every day by using these local trains, dubbed "Mumbai's lifelines", which stop at more than 125 stations.

(With PTI inputs) (PTI photo)

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