Shri Manoj Kotak, MP Mumbai North East raises concerns of Bhandup & Vikhroli commuters in Lok Sabha

Move seeks resumption of regular local trains and equal access to every Mumbaikar.

Mumbai, 22nd September 2020: Keeping in mind the hardships faced by the average Mumbai commuter, Shri Manoj Kotak, MP from Mumbai North East raised his concerns in parliament about the need for trains to halt at  Bhandup and Vikhroli stations and for the need to resume local train services at large.

His speech in parliament was in conjunction to his earlier letter to the Hon. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray that voiced the same concern. Ever since the stoppage of local train services due to the Covid-19 pandemic, commuters in Mumbai have faced immense hardships as the local trains are the city’s lifeline. Lakhs of commuters travel on it every day and without the train services, scores of Mumbaikars were inconvenienced. Shri Manoj Kotak is known to have his ear to the ground in matters such as these and has hence raised his voice on behalf of the common Mumbaikar. 

Bhandup and Vikhroli are localities that are home to hundreds of government workers who are crucial to all the essential services in the city. For them, it is of utmost importance to have a reliable mode of transport because their job has not been shifted to work from home. Halting of local trains at these stations will provide great relief to all these essential care workers who have been working tirelessly since the start of the pandemic and putting their lives and bodies on the line to battle Covid-19. 

Speaking about his speech in parliament, Shri Manoj Kotak said “The average Mumbaikar depends heavily on local train services to travel to work. It is essential that commuters in any area, especially Bhandup and Vikhroli, don’t face any further hardships. Hence, I raised my concerns in parliament so that my fellow citizens can benefit from the resumption of train services.”