Shiv Sena leader demands allowance for bank employees to board the local train

Lok Sabha MP and a member of the Shiv Sena, Gajanan Kirtikar has written to the Chief Secretary of the Maharashtra government to put forward an appeal. The appeal states that the government should include bank employees in the list of essential services in order for them to commute by the local train.

The Maharashtra government has started the local trains in Mumbai in a limited capacity. The appeal to include bank employees in the list of essential services comes after several incidents and complaints by bank employees which were noted by the Shiv Sena where they were not allowed to board the trains by police officials and Mumbai local railway authorities in the stations after the trains started running from Monday, June 15.

The local trains in Mumbai have resumed services after nearly two months for the first time since the lockdown was imposed on March 23 to control the spread of the coronavirus. The railways have decided to start the local services only for essential service providers while the general public will be prohibited from using them. This rule was implemented to make sure social distancing is maintained in the local trains where on a regular day overcrowding happens to be a normal sight.

According to a joint media release by the western and central railways, the western railways are said to run 73 pairs of suburban services including eight pairs between Virar and Dahanu Road. Central Railway will run 200 services (100 up and 100 down) 130 services from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CSMT) to Kasara/Karjat/Kalyan/Thane and 70 services from CSMT to Panvel. The trains are said to run from 5:30 am to 11:30 pm with an interval of 15 minutes. "Maximum services will run between Churchgate and Virar, but few will also run up to Dahanu Road," the railways further added.

Kind Attention :- Western Railway have decided to resume their selected suburban services over WR w.e.f. Monday, 15th June, 2020 with defined protocol & SOP, only for movement of essential staff as identified by the State Government. pic.twitter.com/KlZeGJEq2t

— Western Railway (@WesternRly) June 14, 2020