Worker Strike Halts Mumbai Lifeline
The dependable Mumbai locals left scores of commuters stranded as motormen of Central Railway (CR) decided against working beyond their scheduled duty hours.
The flash strike was to protest the delay in rescuing the motorman of the Kalyan-bound slow local which rammed into the girder of the under-construction road-over-bridge which fell when his train was passing near Kopri in Thane.
Though, the strike threw suburban rail traffic out of gear this morning, its impact was still giving passengers a harrowing time late in the evening on Monday.
Commuters, caught unawares, were left stranded at various points on CR network leaving them no option but to walk to their destinations on the tracks.
A National Railway Mazdoor Union (NRMU) delegation met CR general manager BB Modgil and presented a memorandum seeking an investigation into the death of their colleague and a high-level inquiry into the accident.
The motormen further sought immediate action for the overhead bridges which have been declared dilapidated by various consultants.
“There should be stress management sessions for the motormen and safety door must be provided to the motormen cabin as well in case of such an emergency,” a union member was quoted as saying.
The motormen returned to normal duties after CR officials assured to look into their demands.
The harbour line was the worst hit by the strike, as trains were lined up one behind the other.
The administration, however, attributed the delay of train services to a bomb hoax incident which happened at Dombivali at 0745 hours this morning.
