The issuing of monthly railway passes, which will be valid from August 15, will start from 7 am tomorrow (Wednesday, August 11) at suburban railway stations, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Iqbal Singh Chahal said in a notification on Tuesday.
The process of creating a moblie application and starting the online process may take a little more time. Hence, the offline process will start tomorrow, 11th August 2021, so that there is no inconvenience to Mumbaikars, said Chahal.
He said the offline process will start on tomorrow, 11th August 2021 at 53 railway stations in BMC jurisdiction area and at total of 109 railway stations in Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It will be functional in two consecutive sessions from 7 am to 11 pm, the BMC chief added.
Here is a detailed information regarding the procedure:
1. Offline verification process will be started at 53 suburban railway stations in BMC jurisdiction area. These includes stations on the Central, Western and Harbour Line too.
2. This offline verification facility will be available at 109 local railway stations in the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR Region) including surrounding cities to Mumbai Metropolis.
3. Citizens who have completed 14 days after receiving the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine can go to the nearest railway station with a hard copy of the Final Vaccination Certificate (second dose) along with proof of photo identity. Citizens should note that if they do not have both or even one of these documents, they will be denied entry by the railway administration at the railway station.
4. On approaching the ticket window at the railway station, citizens can find the help desks set up by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (or the concerned Municipal Corporation / Municipal Council / Local Self Government). These help desks will be functional in two consecutive sessions, that is from 7 am to 3 pm and from 3 pm to 11 pm.
5. The BMC (or concerned Local Self Government) staff at the help desk will check the validity of the Final Vaccination Certificate (Second Dose) of the concerned citizen on the Cowin app. They will also check the photo ID proof. Once the verification is completed and both the documents are found to be valid, the certificate and the identification proof will be stamped in the prescribed format.
6. The stamped Covid Certificate shall be presented at the ticket window at the railway station. Railway Monthly Pass will be issued by Railway, accordingly on its basis. However, this pass-based travel facility will be valid from 15th August 2021 only and not before that.
7. Citizens who have not been administered even a single dose or have been administered only one dose of the covid-19 vaccine, will not be allowed to travel on suburban trains at present.
8. Considering the population of Mumbai Metropolis and Mumbai Region, the number of ticket windows at suburban railway stations will be the same as the number of help desks. Also, verification facility will be available for 16 hours i.e. from 7 am to 11 pm. Therefore, eligible citizens must go to their nearest railway station. However, a humble appeal is being made to the citizens to not crowd unnecessarily.
9. Strict police action under the Epidemic Control Act / Disaster Management Act/ Indian Penal Code, will be taken if a citizen tries to produce fake/ bogus Covid Vaccination Certificate.
10. Government / Semi-Government and other Employees in Essential Services will be allowed to travel by local trains as per the prevailing practice, irrespective of Covid Vaccination. Therefore, they are permitted to travel on suburban trains on a regular basis.
11. All Municipal Corporations / Municipal Councils / Local Self Government Institutions in Mumbai Metropolitan Region have been directed to make similar arrangements from tomorrow. Therefore, the residents of the respective areas must go to the nearest railway station and complete the procedure duly.
12. The process of making this facility available online is underway. However, it may take a little more time. The offline process will continue until further notice. Therefore, we appeal to the citizens to co-operate by not crowding and letting citizens obtain passes / tickets who need it more, in a step by step and organised manner. Also, once the online process starts, obtaining Railway Monthly Pass will be easier. The same will also continue till further instructions are issued.
13. The BMC has also appointed Nodal Officers for smooth implementation of the entire process. Necessary training is also being given to the staff.
Further, the BMC chief has appealed to the citizens of Mumbai to co-operate in regard with the arrangements made by the civic body and the Maharashtra government.
This comes after Maharashtra Chief Minister on Sunday announced that fully vaccinated people can travel in Mumbai local trains from August 15.
