Over the last few months, railways have allowed employees from the essential services to travel by the Mumbai Local Trains, and in the past few weeks, permissions have been given to dabbawalas, security guards and women as well, which has brought a sigh of relief for the commuters. In a recently announced decision, the railways have also permitted private to travel by local trains.
In a joint press release, Western and Centrail Railways announced that on request of State Government Maharashtra, permission has been granted by Ministry of Railways, Government of India to lawyers practising in different courts and registered clerks of lawyers, for travel by suburban services in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region till 23.11.2020 midnight subject to the terms and conditions mentioned in the State Government’s letter which is reproduced as under:
i) The practicing lawyers and registered clerks can use the suburban services on all working days only during non-peak hours i.e.
a) Upto 8.00 am in the morning
b) Between 11.00 am and 4.00 pm
c) On and from 7.00 pm till the last local train of the day.
ii) The facility made available cannot be availed for undertaking travel during peak hours on any ground whatsoever and/or for any reason whatever.
iii) Monthly passes will not be issued
iv) For each journey, a separate one-way ticket will have to be bought/purchased.
v) The train ticket as aforesaid will be sold only upon production of a valid identity card issued by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa in the case of the lawyers and by the Bombay Hight Court registry in the case of registered clerks.
vi) The ticket for one-way travel so purchased is non-transferable and cannot be used by anybody else than the person to whom it is sold i.e. the lawyer or the registered clerk as the case may be.
vii) The facility made available can be availed only when such travel is necessary or the professional work/reason and not for any private or non-professional purpose.
viii) Every lawyer and/or registered clerk will have to wear a badge, provided by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, at a prominent place on his dress/clothes, whereby it becomes easy to identify the traveller.
ix) All the travellers availing the facility made available shall strictly comply with the guidelines issued by the State Government from time to time applicable to such travelling, such as compulsory, continuous and proper wearing of face-cover, maintaining social distancing all the time and frequent use of hand-sanitizer, etc.
x) Anybody who violates any of the terms and conditions subject to which the facility is made available, will be liable for a strict disciplinary action at the hands of Hon’ble Bombay High Court and/or the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa.
