Amid ongoing crisis due to pandemic across the state, including Mumbai, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday, May 11, told Bombay High Court (HC) that existing restrictions on travelling in local trains, metro trains and monorails in the city cannot be relaxed.
At present, only frontline health workers and state government staff are allowed to use suburban local trains to avoid crowding as per ‘break the chain’ restrictions.
Therefore, the co-operative bank employees' union had approached the high court seeking permission to travel by local, metro and monorail.
CBEU's lawyer AS Peerzada urged the court to allow the staff of cooperative banks to use these services also so that it would enable them to discharge essential banking services.
A division bench of Justice K K Tated and Justice Abhay Ahuja was hearing the plea which stated: “During the first wave of the pandemic, the railways and state authorities had in September 2020 permitted all cooperative and private bank officials to travel by local trains, metro trains, and monorail. Even currently, employees of the nationalised bank are permitted to use local trains.”
Government Pleader Priyabhushan P Kakade, however, clarified that even the staff of nationalised banks were not allowed to use local trains and that current restrictions on travelling in local trains will continue until further orders.
The court, after hearing both sides, said that the petitioner had not submitted the documentary evidence that the nationalized bank employees were allowed to travel by local trains and dismissed the petition.
The bench also noted that the CBEU can approach the court again if it could produce documentary proof to show nationalised bank staff is permitted to travel in local trains.
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