Iram Siddique

The directive was issued after prototypes were prepared by five zonal railways, following a video conference on March 25. The Indian Railways has been allocated around Rs 100 crore by the Centre from its COVID-19 fund for the work.

"I lied to my family for some days, but my wife realised something was wrong. For the past two days, I have been convincing her I will return alive," 28-year-old Bhupendra Singh says.

Unlike other essential items, such as milk and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), foodgrains are labour intensive as they are loaded and unloaded manually. Many workers involved in this operation are migrants and daily wage earners.

The state had began rounding up the destitute and homeless from across Goa soon after three men, with history of foreign travel, tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. Those picked up from Madgaon, around 90, were placed at a shelter home

He has been issued a special pass by Maharashtra transport commissioner Shekar Channe to drive back home in his private vehicle, following appeals made on social media platforms.

According to Brijesh Arya, convenor of Collective for Homeless, while the census of 2011 puts the number of homeless people in Mumbai to 57,416 and nearly one lakh in Maharashtra, the actual numbers are much higher, with Mumbai having approximately two lakh.

The special train with six sleeper coaches of long-distance trains was operated using a diesel locomotive engine that catered to not only the railway employees but also cancer patients and those under other essential services.

When the Railways announced the closing down of suburban services to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on Sunday, it was a decision that was taken reluctantly and put off until the last minute, after a series of other steps taken to minimise the movement of people.

The slowdown has hit these workers the hardest. Faced with the prospect of not being able to earn any money until the end of the month, most decided it was better to return to their homes.

While mosques, including the famous Haji Ali Dargah and Mahim Dargah and those belonging to the Shia community, disallowed gatherings, Friday Namaaz was prayed in congregation as per tradition.

Coronavirus in Mumbai: Every day, the city's suburban train network, known as the locals, transports 7.8 million passengers, taking them to their workplaces and back.

According to BEST officials, the drop in passengers is due to people staying home, with offices and educational institutes being shut due to COVID-19

Trains cancelled by CR include Deccan Express and Pragati Express on the Mumbai-Pune routes, as well as Nizamuddin-CSMT Rajdhani, plying between Mumbai and Delhi.

The departure area at the international airport now wears a deserted look with rows of Kaali-Peelis and cool cabs parked at their designated spots with no passengers around to hail them.

The school is currently till Class 8, and students in higher classes must walk an hour to Garaj, the nearest town, causing many to drop out. Those seeking any professional course have to go further, to Aurangabad district headquarters.

The state government issued the formula for surge pricing for app-based cab aggregators after issuing a Government Resolution (GR) on Monday and accepting a majority of 61 recommendations of the Khatua committee report.

Redevelopment of stations does not mean improving its façade and lighting, rather it entails complete transformation with well-planned entry and exit points, improved road accessibility and segregated passenger movement.

This means BEST will have to shell out about Rs 40 lakh a month to the bank for collecting and transporting coins valued at Rs 4 crore every month from its 27 depots.

We have to opt for bus services without conductors for BEST. Buses in London operate without conductors. The other option is to shut down BEST altogether.