The President of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Raj Thackeray in a letter to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra questioned the State government’s decision to bar the people of Mumbai from using suburban local trains while running the jam packed buses of BEST Undertaking in the city.
Raj Thackeray in the letter said that Maharashtra government has imposed many curbs and restrictions on the people. However, lately there seems to be a lack of clarity, leading to questions as to who these restrictions are meant for? In the case of Mumbai, this lack of clarity is perplexing.
According to Thackeray, “Most of the businesses are operational in Mumbai, but not all are in a position to work from home, resulting in their travelling for hours to reach their work place. The locals are the lifeline of this city, that lifeline being shut has caused tremendous hardships to the people. The bus services are operational, however the locals are not, leading to overcrowding in the buses. This overcrowding is going to cause the virus to spread easily. What is the logic behind keeping the locals closed and the bus service on?”
The leading experts from all over the world have stated that the Covid-19 pandemic is not just going to disappear. We will have to start living with this virus looming large. Keeping this very fact in mind, we will need to take decisions and find solutions and make plans accordingly. There is definitely a need to speed up the vaccination drive. Simultaneously, we must think of innovative policies. Unfortunately, all we see here is lockdowns and restrictions, the President of MNS said in the letter.
It’s time now, that the Maharashtra government begins the process of relaxing the curbs and starting the local train services in Mumbai. The common man has been very patient and has suffered enough. Now, that very patience is becoming a burden for them. Their tolerance and resilience is waning. The State government needs to take positive steps to solve this predicament, otherwise one can see a chaotic situation emerging. In such a time, MNS will stand firmly behind Mumbaikars and will take this issue to the streets to demand that the local service is resumed, Thackeray said in the letter.