Even though the advocate general had stated that a decision on the resumption of Mumbai locals for all would be taken on Wednesday, January 13, the government is reportedly not ready to make a decision on it immediately.
Earlier, the Maharashtra government has alerted the Bombay High Court that it is likely to take a decision on whether to permit everyone to board the suburban local trains this week. According to reports, the state government was responding to a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish S Kulkarni, who were hearing public interest litigations (PILs) filed by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa (BCMG), and other lawyers.
Moreover, on Tuesday, January 12, the Railways stated that said no directives were yet received regarding the matter from the government. In addition, frequent correspondence and agitations are being staged with demands to resume the local train services as soon as possible. With the services not being operational, many travel associations in the city have also expressed their displeasure. Meanwhile, if the suburban railway system does not operate by coming week for all, the body would plan the protest immediately. Officials have been warned that the entire responsibility will be on the state administration.
As of now, only certain categories of commuters, including those providing essential services, and women, can travel by local trains in the Mumbai region after obtaining a special pass due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The local trains, with the COVID-19 pandemic protocols, were opened gradually for essential services employees and later more categories of travellers were added, but full-scale operations still remain suspended.
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