Mumbai in a jam, govt strikes on train drivers

Mumbai: Millions of commuters in Mumbai were hit hard on Tuesday as drivers of suburban trains, the city's lifeline, struck work demanding better working conditions, crippling the city and forcing Parliament to take note.

With just a few trains running and thousands of commuters crammed into the coaches like sardines, life was thrown out of gear in Mumbai where trains carry nearly seven million passengers a day.

The protests by more than 600 motormen, as the drivers are known, compelled the railways to issue a rare advisory on Tuesday asking people not to commute unless it was a must.

"People may undertake (train) journey only if it's very important," said a bulk SMS sent out by the railway authorities. Stranded passengers were asked to contact helpline 10721 for assistance.

The motormen have been on hunger strike since 6 a.m. on Monday demanding a pay hike among other things. Sensing the critical situation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan indicated he would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Chavan said he had spoken to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"We are hoping to find a solution to this problem by evening. We are open to talks with the striking train drivers," he said.

But as protests by the motormen found an echo in the Lok Sabha, with MPs from Mumbai and Maharashtra creating a din, the state government announced it was invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to force the drivers to return to work.

Around 25 train drivers returned to work after the ESMA was invoked, a railway official said. Around 170 striking drivers were arrested from Churchgate and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) stations. They were accused of obstructing their colleagues from joining work.

The Western Railway and Central Railway have also filed a plea against the strike in the Bombay High Court, the official added.

The situation sparked off by the work stoppage worsened Tuesday, with the cancellation of nearly 80 percent of the total 2,000 daily services.

The railways resorted to desperate - but insufficient - measures like permitting people to travel on long-distance trains on the same routes and making them halt at all suburban stations.

The railways are also making alternative arrangements to grapple with the protest, considered the worst in Mumbai since 1974.

The BEST and MSRTC chipped in to help the stranded commuters by deploying additional services in the city and elsewhere.

Taxis and autorickshaws were in heavy demand. Many people were seen hanging on to the doors or perched on the roofs of the trains still plying on the system.

Mumbai University said any student delayed for the 40-odd final examinations need not panic. They would be permitted extra time to write their papers.

The motormen's agitation has had a cascading effect on Mumbai roads and highways which have been plagued by ugly traffic snarls since Monday night. Similar scenes were seen Tuesday morning.

Western Railway spokesman S.S. Gupta said: "The government has invoked ESMA. The decision came after a meeting chaired by the chief minister."