THE NEW NORMAL?

Social distancing goes for a toss on CR's workmen special train

Social distancing took a tumble on the workmen's special local train on Central Railway (CR) on Friday morning. A video that went viral on social media, shows workmen on a Kalyan-CSMT local train wearing masks but not observing social distancing. They can be seen sitting three-to-a-seat and standing in the gangway though there is no need to do so. Railway officials have said they will look into the matter as they had instructed all employees to comply with this vital pandemic norm.

After almost two months, CR resumed its local services for essential railway staff, who have to report at railway workshops and the headquarters for work. Currently, six services are operational -- Kasara-CSMT, Karjat-CSMT and Kalyan-CSMT.

Visuals shared on social media on Friday afternoon show masked railway employees, some of whom shared on Twitter that social distancing had gone for a toss on these trains.

“Sir, this is the condition of Social distancing in Mumbai workman special local in CR. Frequency to be increased to avoid failure of social distancing,” tweeted the whistle-blower.

Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer (CPRO), CR, said they were investigating the matter and would check the authenticity of the video. “We need to check whether it’s a recent video or an old one and a team has been asked to investigate,” he said. “We had issued notifications informing all the employees to maintain social distancing on the train and take the necessary precautions,” Sutar added.

Another railway official said it was not possible for them to inform each and everyone to maintain social distancing; it is common knowledge and everybody has been following this since the pandemic outbreak. “We are following all norms and guidelines issued by the ICMR and the state government.

But, then, it is also human mentality to keep standing in trains despite coaches being less than half-full,” he said.

Health experts have questioned the resumption of local trains, as there is a strong possibility that the virus could spread since there is no screening process at the respective stations. “It is understood that in the current scenario we need to slowly start operations but putting lives at stake is not an option. Though the employees are being screened at their respective offices, those who are travelling need to be screened at their respective stations and only then be allowed to board,” said an expert.

Venu Nair, general secretary of the National Railway Mazdoor Union (NRMU), told The Free Press Journal that on Friday, though the 12-car local train was started just for railway employees, it became jampacked. He suggests, "Railways should increase the number of trains, so that the rush can be dispersed. Moreover, at every station, thorough checking should be carried out." Nair believes that since there is no checking, there is a possibility that non-Railway employees may also be travelling on these trains. He has also questioned the insistence on 100 per cent attendance in almost all divisions of Railways, which he says is risking employees' lives in this pandemic. "No employee is refusing to come to work, ever yone is doing their job. As we know, goods trains are running even in lockdown, supplying essentials. So, to operate these trains, we need all the concerned staff -- loco-pilot, signal in-charge, etc. However, in this critical situation, whether the presence of all employees in other departments is required should also be checked, as in Mumbai, people are working from home. If the office is working at full strength, it will create unnecessary rush in local trains, which are operating with a limited capacity currently," he said.

He explained that at the Matunga workshop, the employee strength is about 7,500, so even if 30 per cent of the workforce reports for duty, it means there are more than 2,000 on the job. Similarly, the Parel workshop has about 3,000 employees and 30 per cent attendance means around 1,000 workers will be at the workshop. As of now, the Railways has started activities in all workshops and the carshed, which is adding a burden on the rakes; therefore more trains should be made available to avoid crowding, Nair said. Moreover, a roster of all the employees working in the respective divisions should be made, so that they can report on duty rotationally, which will help maintain social distancing, he suggested.