News Analysis India

Tag: Local Train

  • Bengal local train services unlikely to resume after Covid curbs end on June 30

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday hinted that it is unlikely that local trains will start operating even if the ongoing restrictions are relaxed a bit after June 30, as that might spread the Covid-19 infection.

    People blocked railway tracks in several stations in the state for around three hours on Thursday demanding that they be allowed to board staff special stations.

    “We are not running the trains to keep the contagion under check. It is natural that stopping the service causes problems for the people. If we run trains now, everybody will be infected by Covid. What will you do then?” she told reporters.

    Banerjee claimed that the restrictions imposed by her government are not like those in several other states.

    “Shops, vegetable markets and all are almost open. Organisations are providing transportation to bring employees. People are working from home in several offices,” she said.

    The West Bengal government has imposed certain restrictions in the state from May 16 to May 30 to combat a surge in Covid-19 cases and extended it twice later.

    The ongoing curbs are scheduled to come to an end on June 30.

    Meanwhile, on Thursday, West Bengal’s Covid-19 toll rose to 17,516 after 41 deaths were recorded in the state, the health bulletin said.

    The tally went up to 14,89,286 as 1,923 more people tested positive for the virus.

    The number of active cases is now 22,308 while 1,952 recoveries were registered.

    At least 55,679 samples were tested in the state in the last 24 hours for coronavirus, the bulletin said.

    Altogether 3,11,043 people were vaccinated in West Bengal on Thursday, a health department official said.

  • Maharashtra: Teachers seek govt nod to board local trains, priority in vaccination for attending schools

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government’s recent order directing teachers to attend schools has not gone down well with the teaching fraternity for the lack of any assurance on prioritising them for vaccination against COVID-19 and the permission to travel by suburban trains in Mumbai.

    In a circular issued on Monday, the state government made it mandatory for 50 percent of teachers of class 1 to 9 to conduct online sessions for students from their schools.

    A 100 percent attendance is made compulsory for teachers of class 10 and lecturers of junior colleges.

    The teachers have been directed to attend schools so that results of class 10 can be released by June-end.

    This decision was implemented on June 15 barring the Vidarbha region where it will come into effect from June 26.

    Sanjay Daware, Mumbai unit president of the Maharashtra State Aided and Non-aided School Action Committee, said on Wednesday, “the government has issued its circular half-heartedly. We had demanded giving teachers priority in the vaccination drive, but there is no communication from the state government.”

    “Teachers in Mumbai had also demanded permission to travel by local trains but there is no clear instruction in the circular about this demand. How teachers are expected to reach schools if they are not allowed to board the trains?” he questioned.

    Daware said the government, on one hand, expects teachers to issue results on time so that students do not suffer but on the other hand it has not allowed them permission to travel in local trains.

  • Maharashtra govt allows resuming train services for all from February 1

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Government on Friday approved the resumption of suburban train services in Mumbai for the general public from February 1, an official said here.

    A railway official said the state government’s proposal has been conveyed to the competent authorities and a formal announcement is expected soon.

    State Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar has asked the Chief General Managers of Western and Central Railway to allow local train commuters to travel as per the laid down schedule, the state government official said.

    Local trains have been off bounds for the general public since March last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    They resumed in June for the essential services workers.

  • Aam Aadmi Party submitted memorandum to DRM, demand for restarting local train

    The Aam Aadmi Party submitted a memorandum to the DRM to restart the local trains closed due to Kovid in Chhattisgarh. No one will forget the day of 23 March 2020. From this day onwards, activities in the entire country were almost halted for 7,8 months. As if the whole world had stopped, the reason was Kovid-19. In Chhattisgarh also, all the local trains were stopped from the point of view of safety. The public traveling in trains daily faced a lot of problems these days. Today when Zindagi again started walking on its way, but till now the local trains are closed. The Aam Aadmi Party has gone to Raipur DRM office under the leadership of State Secretary Uttam Jaiswal through a memorandum demanding that the local trains be revived.

    With this, all those travelers will be able to come back to their destination. D&M and Assistant Chamber of Commerce Manager Shambhu Sah assured to restart local trains very soon. State media co-operative Azim Khan, State Secretary Youth Gajanand Lahre, State Vice President Youth Laxman Sen, Raipur District Organization Minister Mukesh Dewangan, Jai Prakash Pradhan and Women Wing from Annu Singh, Priyanka Mishra, Pratibha Seautkar were present to give the memorandum.