The Maharashtra government has opened local trains for the general public of Mumbai. As per the order issued by the Maharashtra government, which was cleared by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the general public will be allowed to travel on Mumbai locals till 7 am from the start of the first local train service. Then, they can use the service between 12 noon and 4 pm in the afternoon and then after 9 pm in the night till the end of service. These celebs give their take on this.
Nitin Kumar Gupta : It’s a welcome relief as travelling in Mumbai without local trains is prohibitively expensive for most people. Vaccination and masks should be mandatory because social distancing on trains is impossible! I used to travel to Cooper hospital from KEM hospital during my medical internship days. The train used to be so packed that no one used the handrail to stay balanced, the crowd used to keep us on our feet!
Abhinandan Jindal : That’s very good news and I have travelled in local trains purposely in my initial days, when I used to struggle. Local trains are the heart of Mumbai and the air that we feel while the train passes, gives a different feeling altogether. I used to travel in the night time or in the early morning at around 5am and those are my sweetest memories of Mumbai. Now when local trains have started again it feels like Mumbai has started coming back into action too. Also, the timings that are allotted for people to travel are very convenient and are the timings where there are fewer chances for a lot of people to gather. Also, I would request people to not create havoc and rush while travelling.
Sucheeta Trivedi : Sanitizer booths and compulsory head shields and masks should be mandatory because social distancing is out of the question while travelling in the train. Also, I feel that people must take responsibility for being careful while travelling because at the end of the day it is up to them. There is no authority that can govern how they sit in the train all the time. People need to sanitize their hands regularly, make sure they are wearing good quality masks and are not touching their faces again and again. They also need to make sure to not use trains if they are sick.
Mohit Dagga : Well, I have very mixed views about trains opening up for everyone. I feel that social distancing is the only thing which can save us from Covid and that is something that is not possible in trains at all. All I can say is that make sure you are wearing your mask and if possible even a shield to keep yourself safe.
Kettan Singh : Local trains are the lifelines of Mumbai and I am glad they are opening and things are returning back to normal. Of course, we need to be careful while travelling and make sure we are wearing our masks properly. A mask needs to be worn in such a way that it covers your nose and mouth, a mask worn on your chin will not work. I feel that if anyone wants to travel by local transport, he needs to be more careful as you are responsible for not only your health but the health of your co-passengers as well.
Madhav Trehan: I am happy that the local trains are opening for everyone. However, this goes without saying that one needs to be very careful while travelling. I can understand how some people might be unhappy with this decision of the trains being allowed to operate and everyone being allowed to travel, as it is a scary situation. But I feel that we have reached a point where we need to live with Covid and just be careful that we don’t get it. Life needs to get back to normal and this is.
