Thousands throng Mumbai railway station as CR appeals to avoid crowding

The Central Railway (CR) on Wednesday appealed to people to avoid crowding the stations as thousands of people gathered outside Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai to board long-distance trains, a day after the Maharashtra government announced a series of restrictions on public movement to check the spread of COVID-19.

The Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police have deployed additional force outside the railway station to control the crowd.

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced tough restrictions on public movement over the next 15 days across the state. The restrictions, which exclude essential services, will come into effect from 8 pm on Wednesday and remain in force till 7 am on May 1.

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Maharashtra on Tuesday (April 13) reported the highest daily new cases at 51,751. The Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said the state saw the maximum casualties at 258 in the last 24 hours since Monday (April 12).

“Section 144 of the CrPC, prohibiting assembly of five or more people at one spot, will be in force during the period,” Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said.

Talking to PTI, the Central Railway’s chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said: “People should not panic and avoid crowding the stations.”

“Only passengers having confirmed tickets are permitted to board the special trains and they should reach the stations one-and-a-half hours before the train’s departure time,” he said.

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The Central Railway is constantly monitoring the waiting lists of trains and checking if there is a demand for tickets to any particular destination, he said.