With an increasing number of coronavirus cases, the state government has not allowed the Mumbai Local Trains to resume for the general public. The services are currently permitted only for selected employees from the essential services, where entry at the railway stations and the journey is allowed only through the QR-code based ID cards.
However, under the unlock 5.0 guidelines issued by the ministry, Mumbai Dabbawalas have been given permission to travel by the locals. Officials from the group of Dabbawalas met several ministers in Maharashtra, seeking support for the same, and after a tireless effort, the Railways has finally allowed them to travel by the locals. The decision was taken as the group of men deliver tiffins across the city, and the mode of transport has been used for decades, on a daily basis. This will help them resume business and bring it back to normal, as offices have started functioning since the last few months.
Coronavirus lockdown has had a worse impact on the Dabbawalas. As the offices were shut for several months during the pandemic, this group of men had no means to earn income, and reports state that they also faced financial difficulties in the last few months, when the railway authorities had not given them the permission to travel. Follow this, they demanded their work be included as an essential service.
However, after thoroughly understanding of the matter, the state government recommended the railways to permit the same, and allow them to travel by train.
This is the longest break, the association has taken, in 130-years of their service in Mumbai. Over the last few months, a handful of Dabbawalas were able to work, since they deliver tiffins by travelling on cycles, in South Mumbai. However, the association has expressed happiness with the revised decision taken by the government. The association will have to follow safety protocols as instructed by the officials, where the use of sanitizers, masks and gloves will be mandatory, along with maintaining social distancing.