Harrowing time during rail roko for Mumbai commuters
in Mumbai had a rough morning on Tuesday, with a rail roko agitation on Central Railway’s (CR) main line disrupting services. The Ola-Uber drivers’ strike, which entered into its second day, aggravated the situation.
Railway apprentices began their agitation against the railway recruitment system around 7am by blocking tracks and stopping trains running between Matunga and Dadar stations.
Protesters blocked both Up and Down lines, disrupting local train schedules severely during the morning rush hours, and delaying outstation trains.
The agitators, who had come to Mumbai from various part of the country, were objecting to the change in the railways’ recruitment process, put in place two years ago. The railways regularly appoint apprentices for various technical jobs at its workshops across the country.
Previously, these apprentices would get absorbed into the railways owing to the preference they received during recruitments. However, in 2016, the Union railway ministry decided to stop this and offer them 20% quota. Since then, many apprentices have been unable to land with a job in the railways.
“Due to some agitation between Matunga and Dadar, rail traffic has been affected between Matunga and CSMT,” said Sunil Udasi, chief public relations officer, CR.
Commuters were forced to wait at stations or were stuck inside trains, which prompted many to walk on the tracks to reach the nearest railway station. “I was stuck near Kurla for more than one hour. I am an instructor and I was heading towards Ghatkopar to teach. I jumped off the train and walked on the track to Ghatkopar station. I had no idea about the rail roko, otherwise I would not have stepped out of home,” says Kavita Joil, a Currey Road resident.
“I boarded a train from Ambernath for Dadar. My train was stuck for close to two hours near Kalyan, so I decided to walk back towards Ambernath,” said commuter Ajay Tribhuvan.
At one point, Railway Protection Force (RPF) officials said there were around 3,000 protesters on the tracks at Matunga, and personnel from the RPF, Government Railway Police (GRP) and the city police unsuccessfully tried to convince them to get off the tracks. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena workers also arrived to support the agitation.
GRP ACP Machindra Chavan said there was a “mild lathicharge” to remove protesters from the tracks.
The BEST Undertaking’s directive to all its depot managers to ply more buses did not help much as many of its drivers and conductors from eastern suburbs were unable to reach the depots. The BEST, however, started operating additional buses from Dharavi, Matunga, Mulund, Ghatkopar and Wadala.
The agitators finally agreed to end the stir around 10.35am following negotiations with railway officials.
“We have withdrawn our agitation as the railways have promised to reply to us within two days. They give us training but then they don’t want to employ us. How is this fair? People have come from all over India to protest. We will agitate further if our demands are not met,” says Somit Singh, a railway apprentice who came from Gujarat to participate in the stir.
“We held a similar agitation in Delhi too, but our demands were not met...,” said Shubham Tambat, an apprentice who came to Mumbai from Jalgaon. “We want more than 20% quota,” said Ghusaran from Punjab.
After the stir ended, SK Jain, divisional railway manager, CR, said: “Agitators have been advised that there will be an exam exclusively for them under the 20% quota and that they may apply for it up to March 31.”
MUMBAI:Commuters