MUMBAI, 11 December 2007 — Suburban trains, the life line of people of Mumbai, ran nearly empty on the Western Railways section yesterday, as thousands of commuters in Nalsopora, Vasai and Virar boycotted the trains protesting against the Indian Railways not honoring its promises made last June to increase more trains on the sector, which the commuters said was “inadequate.”
The boycott was called by Commuters Rights Agitation Committee (CRAC), which said that the boycott call was between 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening. A spokesman of the committee said that their demands were for more suburban trains between Churchgate in South Mumbai to Virar, the section where millions of commuters travel daily.
More than two thousand regular commuters protested peacefully outside the Nalsopora railway station, handing roses to commuters wanting to travel on the trains, requesting them not to travel during the boycott timings. However, some commuters who wanted to travel, despite the boycott call, were not prevented and allowed to board trains. More than three hundred thousand people who travel on the suburban trains were hit by the boycott, and a majority of them took leave from their offices.
The three railways stations were nearly deserted though the suburban trains ran as per schedule, as the boycott was peaceful with no violence or untoward incident. The Government Railway Police Force personnel were present at all the suburban railway stations and maintained tight security to ensure law and order. Some shops and auto drivers outside Nalsopora railway station also participated in the boycott as a moral support to the commuters.
Meanwhile in another development, an armed gang of 30 robbers in a daring daylight attack stopped over 20 cars on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway on Saturday, and at gunpoint looted the occupants of cash and valuables worth hundreds of the thousands of Indian rupees.
According to police sources, the victims in the First Information Report (FIR) lodged with the police said that the looting spree continued for more than an hour, with the robbers smashing the windowpanes of the cars and forcing the occupants out.
