Synopsis: Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G.S. Kulkarni Bench said that the Maharashtra government has currently allowed many sectors to resume and hence the frequency of trains has to be increased.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday suggested a rise in the frequency of local trains running in Mumbai to control overcrowding, noting that railway services need to comply with the partial lifting of the lockdown.
Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni ‘s division bench said that the Maharashtra government has currently allowed many sectors to restart, so the frequency of trains is also increasing.
The court said that the State is now in partial lockdown. Malls are open, hotels are permitted to stay open, 100 percent of workers work in government offices and many other industries are now running. This needs to be balanced by railway services. In order to minimise overcrowding, the frequency of local trains on all three lines (western, central and harbour lines) must be raised, the bench said.
The court instructed the state government to consider its recommendations and see whether a request for an increase in the frequency of trains could be forwarded to the railways. A bunch of petitions were heard by the bench, seeking directions for the government of Maharashtra to include lawyers and their clerical workers in critical services and allow them to use local trains to attend court and their office.
The high court ordered the state government last month to allow lawyers who had to attend physical hearings in court to use the trains.
On Wednesday, the court said that the number of trains on the central and harbour lines and up to 700 on the western line should be raised to 600.
In order to increase the frequency, the Court can not direct the railways or the state government. But, it hope and trust that its recommendations are responded favourably by the state government. The court’s advice is not only for lawyers and their workers, but also for the general public.
The Central Railway operates its services on the main line from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in southern Mumbai to Kasara (in Thane) and Khopoli (in Raigad), and on the harbour line from CSMT to Panvel (Navi Mumbai) and Goregaon. From Churchgate in southern Mumbai to Dahanu in Palghar district, the Western Railway operates its suburban services.
The High Court also directed each court’s bar associations in the districts of Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Palghar to notify the number of lawyers who would be willing to participate in physical court hearings and plan to travel by local trains. The bench posted the plea for further hearing on 9th October.