Transport Services Suspended During Diwali; Railway Suburban Service Delayed; BEST Disrupted
Mumbai, 26th October 2022: On the occasion of Diwali, the number of citizens going out of their homes for shopping, meeting relatives, and various events is large, and the citizens had to bear the brunt of the delayed Central Railway local and BEST bus services which were disrupted in some areas on Tuesday. Meanwhile, due to the ‘Sunday schedule’ implemented during the festive season, suburban slow and fast local trains on the Central Railway were running late on Tuesday, while the contract workers of BEST at two depots, Marol and Dindoshi, again protested, causing inconvenience to passengers. As commuters are suffering due to the agitation, the BEST initiative is only promising to take action against the concerned contractor, and Mumbaikars are starting to feel disgruntled.
Currently, as it is Diwali, local trains are getting crowded for shopping, meeting relatives, and going to events. But for the past few months, the local service has been disrupted due to various reasons. Even during Diwali, the calculation of the local schedule is not done. CSMT-bound slow and fast local trains were running with a delay of ten to fifteen minutes from Tuesday morning. With the introduction of the ‘Sunday Schedule,’ fewer local trains than usual were in service to passengers. Bhaubij and Padwa are on Wednesday. But on Tuesday local trains were very crowded. Due to the ‘Sunday schedule’, local trains were running 10 to 15 minutes late. As a result, some stations including Kalyan, Dombivli, Thane, Mulund, Bhandup, Kurla, and Dadar were experiencing crowds while catching or alighting the locals. Some local flights were also canceled. Due to this, passengers suffered.
The reason for the breakdown of the schedule:
Central Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer Shivaji Sutar said that due to the implementation of a ‘Sunday schedule’, local trains were fewer than on other days. The coaches of a freight train derailed on October 23 between the Wardha-Badnera section. Due to this, the schedule of mail, express to and from Mumbai was affected. He said that fast local services are being affected to some extent.
The plight of passengers:
Along with the locals, BEST bus passengers also suffered. The contract drivers, carriers, and other employees of Marol and Dindoshi Agars staged a strike again on Tuesday morning for non-payment of wages on time, equal pay for equal work, and other demands. Therefore, the buses could not exit from these two depots. Passengers were hit by it. This was the second day of the agitation by the employees of these two agars, while it is the fourth day of the agitation called so far by the contractual employees of various agaras. As the agitation of the employees was affecting the passengers, the BEST initiative tried to restore the BEST service with the help of other drivers. The agitation continued even in the afternoon. The BEST initiative has warned that action will be taken against the contractor who violates the rules.
