Mumbai, Februay 04: Travelling by local trains in
Mumbai? Well now you understand the great theory of Darwin- "Survival of the fittest"! For the millions of people living in Mumbai, its local train services are a lifeline. You may complain and crib about it and curse the massive crowds you see every morning, but every Mumbaikar knows that their lives would be impossible without it.
For the past 11 months,
Mumbai's local train services had been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time in decades, the stations remained empty, with no indication of when services might resume again. What makes the local trains the city's lifelines is the fact that it is accessible to all, from working professionals travelling miles to reach their offices on time to fruit vendors hoping to make a few bucks by selling freshly cut fruits during peak office hours.
In a big relief to the residents of
Mumbai, the
Maharashtra government announced that the local trains will be resuming their services from February 1st, 2021. The local train services were suspended in March-end last year due to the
Covid-19 outbreak and gradually resumed services later in the year.
However, it was made accessible to only women or those providing essential services after obtaining a special pass. From Monday onwards the services have opened to all categories of the public. As the city rejoices, one particular photo has been going viral on the internet which shows exactly how much the local trains mean to its commuters.
Meanwhile, long queues outside the ticket counters of suburban stations are once again becoming a common sight. It is clear to assume that what’s running in the minds of most people is not the fear of the pandemic but the anxiety about fitting their work schedule in a manner that allows them to avail the local train service while reaching the place of work and returning home.
There will have to be a balance between imposing a restriction and allowing people to conduct their lifestyles as normally as possible. The time to be careful and cautious will have to extend till middle of April or end of June. That would be a fairly broad period to be cautious. And if by that time we are not seeing a surge or new outbreak or a new set of infection then we could reasonably say that we are within the safety parameters but that is something we will know only closer to June.
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