Mumbai :Several BJP leaders were arrested and penalised for protesting and forcibly travelling in Mumbai local trains, as part of their pre-decided protest, on Friday. Protests were held at Sion, Dahisar, Kandivali and Andheri. BJP leader PravinDarekar was penalised for travelling from Churchgate to Charni Road without any ticket. Mumbai local trains, the lifeline of Mumbai and suburb's transport, is not open for the general public a long-standing demand of the daily passengers, which has now become a political issue. The Maharashtra government has indicated that it will soon take a decision on allowing fully vaccinated people to travel by Mumbai locals.

Minister Aaditya Thackeray said the decision will be made public in a few days as the government has been holding a series of consultations with experts. "I think one should act in a responsible manner [in giving relaxations]. In other countries where vaccination has been done [to a large extent], like in the US, UK, the cases are rising again. We are concerned about people's lives. About [restarting] railways, we have been holding deliberations for the past few weeks. In the next two, three days, you will know what relaxations can be given for the double vaccinated population, not just in trains but in other activities as well. We are carefully discussing these issues and you will know about it soon," the minister said.

Mumbai local was opened for the general public with some time restrictions in February just ahead of the arrival of the second wave. As of now, only specific categories of travellers related to essential and emergency services are allowed to travel in Mumbai local trains.

Resentment has been growing against the government's decision to keep local services restricted as lawyers too have moved the court demanding that they should be allowed to travel in Mumbai local trains. The Bombay high court on Monday urged the state to consider forming an expert panel to look into the woes of the commuters.

Travelling by train in Mumbai is essential for people..bus charges are very high. These are important issues which touch the livelihood of people… so if the administrative machinery is geared up to look into these issues, everything would be fine," Justice Kulkarni said.