Crowded trains, crawling buses: Office-goers face inconvenience due to Maratha protest

Mumbai: Office-goers faced inconvenience on Friday morning as thousands of Maratha protesters headed to the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai to join the protest launched by activist Manoj Jarange.

Traffic drastically slowed down in the city’s southern and eastern parts, especially on roads leading towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

Several buses were stuck in jams for a long time around CSMT during the morning rush hours.

Lakhs of office-goers arriving at CSTMT walk or take BEST buses or taxis to their workplaces in business districts like Nariman Point, Fort, Kalabadevi, and Crawford Market every morning. They had a tough time due to the massive congestion at the CSMT junction.

To add to their woes, the suburban services on the Central Railway were running late due to a snag in the engine of a goods train, which led to the bunching of local trains near Byculla station on the main line.

Several commuters complained of overcrowded suburban trains and the unavailability of BEST buses at bus stops.

“All suburban stations and local trains on the Harbour line have been more crowded than usual. Maratha quota protesters were at all stations between Wadala and CSMT,” a suburban commuter said.

The protest caused delays in BEST bus services and led to diversions and curtailment of key routes, officials said. Several BEST buses were overcrowded, said users.

A BEST spokesperson said that all south Mumbai-bound services on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marg, a key route in the island city, were curtailed at Dadar. Many other routes ended at Bharatmata, Mumbai Central and other locations.

The Mumbai traffic police on Friday morning appealed to motorists to avoid using the Eastern Freeway, one of the main corridors for reaching south Mumbai.

Jarange reached the Azad Maidan via the Eastern Freeway along with hundreds of vehicles. Several vehicles from his convoy also remain parked in areas around the Freeway.

Heavy police deployment was seen in and around Azad Maidan to maintain law and order.

The agitation also disrupted the routine schedules of students, as several educational institutions reported poor attendance.