The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has begun an offline verification procedure for Covid-19 vaccination and started issuing monthly passes to fully inoculated people to enable them to board local trains in Mumbai.
As the process began at 53 suburban stations in the city on Wednesday, Madhu Kotian, President, Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, said the decision would benefit over 19 to 20 lakh commuters.
“Six to seven lakh commuters are senior citizens. People’s problems have been solved, and from August 15 they will have the freedom to travel in trains. The pandemic is not over and only effect has reduced… that is what Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has said. The commuters should follow the protocols,” he said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday announced that members of the public, who have completed 14 days after getting the second dose of coronavirus vaccines, will be allowed to board suburban trains from August 15.
A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) release said citizens who have completed 14 days after the second dose are required to carry a hard copy of COVID-19 vaccination final certificate and a photo ID for verification for obtaining travel passes.
“Local trains have a good blowing system where air circulation is good and it reduces the chances of infection through confinement in compartments. It’s never been proved that only trains can cause infections. There is crowd everywhere … in buses and markets.. and keeping the lifeline of Mumbai beyond the reach of people is not the solution. It has impacted the economic wheel of the city and livelihood of people,” Kotian said.
He also demanded that youngsters who have been administered only one dose of vaccine be allowed to travel in local trains. “The more we restrict people the more they will get bogus Ids and travel. We are forcing people to do that, without locals people can’t move around freely. We demand that those youth with one dose of vaccine should also be given the permission to travel in locals in coming days.”
“If our 85 lakh commuters don’t go out to work then it will impact the economy, it is impacting – our worker class are going through hell. Only those jobs in government services and corporates have survived as they could travel in trains. Another 80-90 per cent belonging to other sectors have lost jobs. These are people working in shops, labour class and many have packed up for good and returned to their villages,” Kotian told News18.
The government, he said, only listens to disaster management experts. “When the experts say shut shops at 4pm, then they do it. There is no one in these committee to think from a commercial point of view and that’s where the problem lies.”
“We know requesting the government to vaccinate our youth with second dose at the earliest will help them use the locals,” he said.
“Till today we see so many local trains in the evening going empty. The government could have devised a way through which other people could benefit and could be accommodated … that proactiveness is missing… shutting the locals in fear of pandemic is not the solution all the time.
The civic body said the help desks will be operational in two consecutive sessions from 7 am to 11 pm. “Citizens can approach the station nearest to their house for verification and should avoid crowding,” it said.
The BMC warned that strict legal action will be taken if fake vaccination certificates are produced to obtain passes.
News18 spoke to several commuters who praised the move, calling it a much-needed relief.
“I cannot use the bus as I have to meet multiple clients at various stations, so things will be better once I get the pass. Crowding is happening everywhere, why restrict citizens from local trains?” said one fully vaccinated commuter at Borivali Station.
Another passenger said he used to change three buses and it took him six hours for overall commute apart from nine working hours in office. “I’m relieved and thankful that this decision was taken,” he said.
A commuter from Mulund said, “I’m taking the pass so I can use to locals when there is a need. Right now I’ve limited my work and avoid commuting. Now this will be helpful,” he said.
“Relived that I will be able to use the locals from 16th August . It’s a good decision, earlier I was spending a lot on commute,” another passenger said.
The suburban train services in the metropolis were suspended for general public in April this year when the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak in Maharashtra. At present, only government employees and essential services staffers are allowed to travel in local trains.
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