by | arvind jadhav
Mumbai: To reduce the stress on passengers of suburban railways, steps have been taken to stagger the office timings of government and semi-government offices under the state government in Mumbai city and Mumbai suburban districts. Accordingly, a committee headed by Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar has been formed to examine the feasibility of this policy and make recommendations to the government.
Need for Staggered Office Hours
Due to increasing urbanization, the number of suburban railway passengers in Mumbai is growing day by day. As a result, there has been a significant increase in the number of accidental deaths of passengers traveling by catching or hanging onto trains. In three years, 7,565 passengers died in various accidents on suburban railways. Last year alone, 741 passengers lost their lives between Thane and Kalyan. Recently, in a rail accident in Mumbra, five passengers died, and nine were injured.
Government Response and Committee Formation
The opposition had criticized the government in the monsoon session of the state assembly regarding the safety of suburban rail passengers. At that time, the government assured that it would take steps for passenger safety in a meeting with the Union Rail Minister. The rail administration has requested staggered office hours for offices of central government, state government, and private institutions in Mumbai to reduce crowding in morning and evening suburban rail trains. A committee headed by the Chief Secretary has been formed to examine the feasibility of staggering office hours for state government offices in Mumbai and suburban districts.
Committee Composition and Task
The committee includes Additional Chief Secretaries of finance, transport, urban development, general administration (services), industry, and construction departments. Also included are the Secretary to the Chief Minister, Shriikar Pardeshi, the Transport Commissioner, and the district collectors of Mumbai. The committee has been asked to discuss with employee unions and submit a report within three months. Sources indicate that if this experiment by the state government is successful, changes might also be made in the timings of central and private offices.
