BJP MP from North East Mumbai Manoj Kotak urged Railway Ministry to start Mumbai locals at the earliest.
Kotak raised the issue in the Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session and asked the Railway Ministry to start the Mumbai locals for all citizens. As of now, Mumbai locals are operating only for essential services including bankers, health care workers, government officials, etc.
He also said that Bhandup and Vikhroli has a huge crowd of government officials and urged the Ministry to allow trains to stop at these two stations as well.
After a gap of over two-and-a-half months, Western Railway and Central Railway resumed limited suburban train services in the Mumbai in June. The trains started operating for essential services only. The train services were resumed with all safety protocol put in place.
Earlier, several office-goers staged a protest outside the Virar Railway station demanding local trains to Mumbai as they feared job loss amid the pandemic.
Most of the protesters were facing problems while commencing their journey by road, as they had to face huge traffic on the road. Moreover it is costing more on their pockets to reach the office on time.