Even as most Mumbaikars were barely getting over the horror of seeing photos of droves of walkers and joggers at Marine Drive on Sunday, as though the pandemic had been miraculously vanquished, another horror unfolded on Monday morning, which in other times, would have been the first day of the work week for most. With the state government relaxing lockdown measures and allowing 10 per cent attendance at private offices starting on June 8, thousands of working Mumbaikars seemed to be in attendance, making a mockery of social distancing norms.
Office-goers thronged the streets, queuing up for autorickshaws, fighting to board buses. There were traffic snarls at all the major junctions of the city, with all the honking suggesting that the lockdown was over and the wearing of masks was just an unavoidable formality. With the suburban railway services being nonoperational, BEST buses had been the city's only means of public transport, strictly restricted to use by essential service providers during the lockdown.
But on Monday, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) resumed services for office-goers from Monday. However, the BEST management had specified, each bus would carry only one passenger per two seats on either side of the gangway, with a maximum of five standees. On Route No. 14, which goes to and from Pratiksha Nagar depot and Dr S P Mukherjee Chowk, passengers boarded the bus like any other day, from 11 weeks ago. All the seats were occupied and the gangway was filled, barely leaving space for social distancing.
"I had boarded a bus to Colaba today and the crowd seemed to be like that on a regular day, the only difference being, people were wearing masks," said Aishwarya Kazi, a banker A similar scenario played out on Route No. 5, where passengers claimed there were more than five standees in the bus. "Since there are no trains, officegoers had to depend on the bus and it became difficult for the administration to manage the crowd," said passenger Reshma Desai.
However, there were some bus routes on which social distancing norms were assiduously followed, with not more than 30 people being allowed to board (25 sitting, 5 standing), with long queues seen at bus stops. There was a commotion as passengers boarded on a first come-first serve basis, with several rushing towards the entry point each time a bus arrived. "The frequency of buses are lesser than usual days considering BEST is the only travel option. So the management should have pressed more buses into service, to cater to the demand," said Sanjay Kotwan, a private firm employee. On both, the Eastern and Western Express Highways, traffic snarls were reported.
Middle-class Mumbaikars feel, only those with private vehicles can reap the benefits of the easing of the lockdown. "Not everyone has cars. Travelling in Mumbai is a pain now, with only BEST buses plying, that too with limited passengers. Clearly, the easing of lockdown has failed in many aspects," said Sachin Kakade, a microbusiness owner. As for those who own vehicles and are hence compelled to go to work, they are worried about the fuel expenditure they are bound to incur. Narendra Kheraliya, head of the sales department at a private company said, "I went to my office in Koparkhairane, Navi Mumbai, from Kalyan on my motorcycle, after almost three months. If the trains do not start, I will continue to spend at least Rs 250 only on fuel every day, which is not a feasible option. Moreover, riding a bike is risky in the rainy season, given the potholed state of the roads. But as buses are jam-packed and there are no other options, there are many like me, who went to work on their personal vehicles."
Kheraliya works in a company that manufactures and supplies water purification machines in corporate offices. It is in the rainy season that the demand for water purifiers soars, as do buyer queries, so the company has prepared standard operating procedures (SOPs) for its sales team, so that its members can work swiftly and protect themselves at this critical time. Car-pooling is another route, some Mumbaikars have taken, as they do not find BEST buses very reliable. Jasmine Gore, a facility executive manager in a private real estate firm, said, "I reside in Santacruz but my office is in Worli. I have been instructed to attend office every day starting from Monday.
Fortunately, I have a colleague who lives in Bandra, so we both commute in her private vehicle. BEST buses are completely full because everybody has started travelling and it is quite risky, as it is difficult to maintain social distancing. However, commuting in private vehicles is costly and the company is not providing us conveyance." With few transport options, Mumbaikars are saying the relaxation of the lockdown is not a good idea. They feel the state has allowed the easing of the lockdown without a ground-level survey and they are apprehensive about getting infected. "If the state allows companies to function, then employees will be pressured to go to work. However we can see that there is hardly any social distance being maintained and people are now more vulnerable," said Nitin Desai, an IT worker.
Echoing his statement, Abhisekh Kumar, a finance sector employee said, "People are not coming out voluntarily, but are being compelled to. There is retrenchment going on in private firms and those asked to report for work stand to lose their jobs if they don't." As the monsoon sets in with full force, things could get worse.
