Mumbai:
Public transport services in Mumbai, including suburban trains and buses, and in other parts of Maharashtra largely remained unaffected on Tuesday amid the Bharat Bandh called by farmers’ organizations. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), however, canceled over 8,100 scheduled buses. Of 21,575 scheduled services, it operated only 12,516. As many as 8,127 services were canceled due to the Bandh and another 932 services due to other reasons, its spokesperson said.
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST), the civic bus service in Mumbai, operated 4,420 of the 4,472 buses, almost 98.84 per cent of the total. Services of local trains in Mumbai as well as long- distance trains remained unaffected, said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer, Central Railway.
Leaders of taxi and auto rickshaw unions told PTI that their services in Mumbai remained normal. Truck unions said the movement of goods was affected to an extent as several truckers chose not to operate in view of the shutdown.
”Many truckers have kept their vehicles off road in support of the strike, but we haven’t stopped movement of essential commodities,” said Kailash Pingle, leader of Maharashtra Rajya Motor Malak Sangh, earlier in the day. Transportation of essential commodities like milk, vegetables and fruits was excluded from the bandh, said Daya Natkar, secretary of the Maharashtra Rajya Truck Tempo Tankers Vahatuk Sangh.
Taxi union leader A L Quadros said taxis were plying in Mumbai as the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown had already hit the sector severely. The ruling Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress extended their support for the shutdown, but appealed to protesters to not disrupt public transport services.
In Pune also, public transport remained unaffected. ”All our operations in the city are unaffected and no incident of buses being stopped anywhere has been reported yet,” said an official from PMPML (Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal).
