BJP MP raises Mumbai local train services issue in Parliament

“Ever since the stoppage of local train services due to the Covid-19 pandemic, commuters in Mumbai have faced immense hardships as the local trains are the city’s lifeline. Lakhs of commuters travel on it every day and without the services, scores of Mumbaikars were inconvenienced,” he said.

Kotak said, Bhandup and Vikhroli localities are home to hundreds of government workers, who are crucial to all the essential services in the city. “For them, it is of utmost importance to have a reliable mode of transport because their jobs have not been shifted to work from home. Halting local trains at these stations will provide great relief to all these essential care workers, who have been working tirelessly since the start of the pandemic and putting their lives and bodies on the line to battle Covid-19,” he said.

Earlier, Kotak had written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in the matter.

Although the state government has resumed local train services partially as a part of the relaxation of lockdown norms, it has been confined for essential services workers. Sources in the state government said in view of rising Covid-19 cases, coupled with problems of crowd management, the Chief Minister had exercised caution and decided not to take any hasty decisions in the matter.

On Sunday, the Raj Thackeray-MNS had also staged a protest with party activists demanding resumption of local train services to the maximum capacity.