Vaccination is choice, transport is a right, says senior citizen passenger committee member

As per the Chief Minister’s announcement, those who have taken both the vaccine doses and completed 14 days after taking the second dose, can travel on Mumbai local trains. File pic/Ashish Raje

The vaccine is a choice, not a compulsion. Public transport is a public right. You cannot deny public transport to those who are not vaccinated - Senior Citizen Passenger Committee member Mansoor Umer Darvesh from Jogeshwari has sparked a debate, by stating this in a letter to the Chief Minister's Office and the railway bosses.

Sixty two-year-old Darvesh, a member representing the official railway passenger body of Western Railway Mumbai's Divisional Railway Users' Consultative Committee, said, "The decision taken by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray that those who have taken both the doses of vaccines and completed 14 days after taking the second dose, can travel on Mumbai local trains is totally wrong. Taking vaccines is our personal decision, even the Supreme Court has said in one of its orders that you cannot compel anyone to take a vaccine. Hence it should not be forced for travel for living."

"Secondly, there is a huge shortage of vaccines. And due to this unavailability, many people have been left out or are waiting for it. So linking vaccines to travel for work is wrong. You cannot deny anybody travel on the grounds that they are not vaccinated," Darvesh said.

Also read: Not consulted on Mumbai local trains decision, says junior rail minister Raosaheb Danve

Senior state and civic officials admitted that Darvesh had a point, but refused to go on record. File pic/Ashish Raje

"People should not accept the formula. This way, the poor people will suffer further. As it is for the past 15 months, there has been a lot of suffering and now that the Covid-19 case numbers have come down, the government must make an effort to allow every citizen to travel by train, irrespective of vaccination status," Darvesh added. While railway officials refused to comment, senior state and civic officials admitted that Darvesh had a point, but refused to go on record.

‘A peculiar situation'

"It is a peculiar situation. We have new variants coming and going and public safety at large is at risk. It has been medically proven that vaccines can curb and limit the spread and lower fatalities and they are perfectly safe. Suburban trains are the lifeline of Mumbai and ferry many people at one go and they are devoid of access control and any other measures. Since local train commute is so important for Mumbai vis-a-vis work, the authorities have put in a barrier of vaccination and opened access to this mass transit system," an official said.

8.78L
Fully vaccinated citizens from city aged less than 60

30L
No of passengers who currently use local trains under restrictions