Though most of the commuters participated in the protest, those who insisted on boarding the trains were greeted with flowers by the protestors.

In a 12-hour long peaceful protest (6 am-6 pm) on the International Human Rights Day, the commuters protested against the ‘inhumane conditions’ faced by them. Over 5 lakh commuters use the trains daily which they complain are overcrowded.

Demanding one train every five minutes, besides additional trains between Borivali and Virar to ease the crowd, the commuters shut the entrance of trains to mark the protest.

Shailendra Kambli, state secretary of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) which has organised the protest, said, “Lakhs of people travel from Virar everyday, but the condition in which they commute is inhuman. The WR has been giving us false assurances on procurement of new rakes and completing the quadrupling work of tracks.”

An irate commuter Chintan Shah, who was participating in the protest, said, “It is impossible to board trains in the peak hours. We face the problem of overcrowded trains and the delay in services almost everyday.”

However, with comparatively less commuters on Monday, the Western Railway continued its services. Due to lack of commuters, a few ticket counters were shut. Virar station master, Ram Narayan Pandey, said, “We are working as usual. If there are no commuters to buy tickets, the windows will remain shut.”

Commenting on the boycott, Chief Public Relation Officer of WR Pranay Prabhakar said, “Trains were running smoothly as per the schedule. Initially, there was a delay of 15- 20 minutes due to the protest, but after 3 pm the trains were on time.”

Among the protestors was Santosh Yadav, a Nallasopara-based resident, who came to the station to ensure that his friends and fellow commuters supported the protest. “We support this boycott, otherwise the railway authorities will turn a deaf ear to our demands,” he said.

A 60- year-old accountant from Virar, B M Jobanputra, added, “Due to infrequent services, we suffer everyday. By boycotting the services for a day, we hope that the Railways take notice of our situation.”

While some residents decided to take the day off, others planned to stay at friends and relatives’ places so that they do not have to take the train on Monday. Law student Charuta Shirke from Virar had to stay at a relative’s place on Sunday night to attend her exam in Borivali. “I have my examinations going on and my center is in Borivali. I did not want to take the risk of traveling on Monday by train, so stayed back in Borivali to appear for my paper,” she said.

To keep a vigil, the Government Railway Police force deployed extra personnel on the stations beyond Borivali. Senior Police Inspector of GRP, Satyanarayan Gurjar, said, “We are ensuring that commuters who want to board the trains are allowed to do so without any violence or resistance from protestors.”

The move has been supported by the political parties as well. While local MLA Hitendra Thakur gave the credit to commuters, former railway minister and MP of the North Mumbai constituency Ram Naik said, “As a former railway minister, I am aware of the problems faced by commuters. Things have not improved over the years. All the political parties are in support of the protest.”

shweta.desai@expressindia.com