Mumbai is set to witness a “Wear Your White” protest today organised by ten prominent railway commuter organisations. As a show of solidarity, the unions have called on Mumbaikars to participate in the agitation on August 22, which will not impact the operations of local train services, FPJ reported.
“The protest is aimed at demanding immediate action on five critical issues affecting the city’s lifeline,” FPJ quoted the secretary of Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, Siddhesh Desai, as saying.
‘Wear Your White’ protesters demands
The protest outlines five demands, including the timely operation of suburban local trains and increased suburban services; prioritising suburban trains over long-distance trains during peak hours; proper use of the fifth and sixth lines to segregate long-distance and suburban trains; and setting up of a unified transport body for Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Siddhesh Desai said that local train commuters have long expressed frustration over the perceived bias of railway authorities towards Mail and Express trains. Passenger associations are demanding a halt to the operation of Mail and Express trains on the tracks built under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), specifically for local trains on the Kurla to Kalyan and Thane to Diva routes.
Pointing out that the local train network caters to millions of Mumbaikars daily, he said, “The protest seeks to bring attention to the dire need for reforms that prioritize the local train services during peak hours and call for the expedited completion of long-stalled projects,” FPJ reported.
Following a long-drawn 2.5-hour meeting on Wednesday between the Rail passengers’ associations and Central Railway, it was decided that the agitators would stage the protest without disturbing the train services and would not enter railway station premises.
Thane Railway Pravasi Sangh, the president, said that the union will participate in the stir ‘indirectly, ‘ as reported by HT. Furthermore, the protestors donning white shirts with black bands will not distribute bands inside railway station premises or influence commuters to sport black bands or participate in the protest.