Dabbawalas surely deserve space on Mono, Metro

Representation Pic

Mumbai's commuter scape is changing rapidly with new transport modes coming up. Mumbai dabbawalas have appealed to the chief minister for a luggage compartment in the Metro and Monorail trains.

The suburban trains have fixed luggage compartments with dedicated slots for the dabbawalas and the Metro should replicate the model said the president of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association. Mumbai is currently constructing what could be considered the largest Metro rail network ever attempted by any country, spanning 337 km. This includes approximately 40 km of underground lines being built by MMRCL.

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A delegation of Mumbai Dabbawala Association met MMRDA officials and wrote a petition to the chief minister's office seeking workers and labourers to be allowed to carry their luggage on Mono and Metro. We are batting for our dabbawalas, iconic workforce and synonymous with the city, just like our kali-peelis are for instance.

While we may base our transport network on efficient foreign models, we must tweak the system for our local needs and citizens. The dabbawalas have faced a tough time during the pandemic and spillover effects of the lockdown. While change is the name of the game, we must enable them to survive and find it easier to commute across the city.

If citizens have the option to upgrade to these new modes of transport, we can surely factor in this demographic, loyal, hardy and whose efficiency has been lauded even overseas.

This transport system can look at how our locals accommodate these dabbawalas.