Both Western Railway and Central Railway drivers have also been demanding vaccinations as frontline workers; officials refute allegations, say the contactless tests were safe and staff is already being inoculated
Though the breathalyzer tests were contactless, WR motormen claim the COVID-19 cases among them rose after their use
Motormen in Mumbai are a worried lot. While motormen on the Western Railway have said that the mandatory breathalyzer tests before and after driving a local train had led to a rise in COVID-19 cases among them, the death of a senior loco pilot on the Central Railway has led to further concerns.
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On Tuesday morning, senior loco pilot Ramkrishna S Badgujar succumbed to COVID-19 at Railway Hospital in Byculla. He had been admitted from March-end. In the CR over 20 motormen have been infected.
WR drivers said there had been a spike in COVID-19 cases among motormen and at present there were about 35 cases with two instructors infected too. They wondered if it was due to the introduction of contactless breathalyzer tests in March 2021 which were later discontinued due to protests. The tests were discontinued on March 27 and now they are done randomly. A union office bearer said that a breathalyzer has only a small straw to blow into the machine, half of which is in the machine and the other half is the part through which the driver exhales. Drivers claim that there was a spike in cases after the use of these contactless tests. Use of sanitisers is limited, as many a times, the alcohol in the sanitiser is reflected in the driver’s alcohol test reading.
WR motormen also claimed that due to cancellation of ‘private sick leave’ (sick leave certified by a private, not railways' doctor) many unwell motormen were forced to come to work. There is a rule that states that a motorman cannot take leave on the basis of a private doctor's certificate, during the three months of summer vacation, which was implemented from March 25. There are roughly 450 motormen on WR and around 800 on CR.
Railway motormen have also been requesting vaccination as frontline workers. There have been complaints regarding existing government rules that mandate vaccines only for all those above 45 years of age and the administration has been seeking clarity from the government.
Officials speak
The railway administration refuted the allegations and said that vaccination was being done in large numbers and that the breathalyzers used on the Western Railway were completely contactless.
Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Sumit Thakur said, “The breathalyzers in use were completely touchless and there was absolutely no reason to worry. Passenger safety has always been a priority. As far as vaccination is concerned, it is being prioritised for all the staff that have been identified as frontline workers. On WR, over 13,163 employees have been vaccinated with about 2,514 at Jagjivan Ram Hospital at Mumbai Central and 1,136 in Mumbai division."
Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Shivaji Sutar said, “Over 500 railway employees are vaccinated daily and about 84 per cent of the health staff and 95 per cent RPF staff have already been covered by vaccinations. While on 4 April, 829 employees were vaccinated, 1,239 were vaccinated on 5 April. As of now, 2,290 (84%) health workers, 4,036 (95%) RPF staff, 12,069 frontline workers other than RPF staff, 3,277 working employees and families and 2,383 retired staff and families have been vaccinated on CR.”
70 pc kaali peelis out of service
The Mumbai Taximen’s Union on Tuesday said that about 70 per cent kaali-peeli metered taxis had become inoperative, as their drivers are leaving the city. “Due to the migration of drivers to their native places on account of fear created by the lockdown and COVID-19 virus, more than 70% of the taxis are non-operational. Many operators were forced to park in ‘No Parking’ areas, which has resulted in violation of traffic rules. We earnestly request you to tolerate the parking violation beyond control of taxi operators and pardon it till normalcy is restored,” General Secretary Anthony Quadros wrote to traffic police.
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