Days after the backlash, it has been informed that soon fully vaccinated Mumbaikars will get daily tickets for local trains. The decision has been taken by the Maharashtra government.
Meanwhile, the Western Railway's CPRO Sumit Thakur has informed that they have already started issuing daily tickets to passengers.
'It has been decided to permit all citizens who are fully vaccinated as per the definition of the State Government to travel in local trains. As one-time ticketing was allowed on long-distance passenger trains before too, this relaxation means that all fully vaccinated citizens may travel in local and passenger trains on all routes and through all kinds of tickets that may be issued by railways, including daily ticketing," reads the circular.
"Being fully vaccinated would be the only mandatory condition for issuance of any kind of tickets for travel in the trains. It is emphasized that railways must ensure that only fully vaccinated persons are travelling in trains and this is irrespective of whether a traveller is engaged or not engaged in essential services," it adds.
At present, only passes and not daily tickets are issued to commuters wanting to travel by Mumbai's suburban trains.
Acting on a recent directive from the Maharashtra government, the railway authorities have stopped issuing tickets to essential services staffers and government employees from earlier this week.
Mumbai local train services resumed for fully vaccinated passengers in August, after a hiatus of four months. Passengers were restricted from commuting in local trains in the first week of April after the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
