Latest news with #MumbaiDabbawalaAssociation
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
More seats for seniors, less space for luggage in WR trains
MUMBAI: After doing some careful number-crunching, the Western Railway (WR) will modify and convert one of the two luggage compartments in each of its trains, to augment seating for senior citizens. This would double the number of seats for seniors in each train from the present 14. The move is in line with an order of the Bombay High Court, which ruled last year that the Indian Railways must allow seniors to travel in the luggage compartments of local trains. The order was given on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which sought dedicated compartments for senior citizens. The PIL said around 50,000 seniors commute daily in local trains. To implement the court order, the Western Railway will modify the seventh coach from the Churchgate end in its fleet of 110 non-air-conditioned trains. This would be a 'Senior Citizens' compartment, railway sources said, adding that each coach would be fitted with 14 seats. A senior railway official said modifying all the luggage compartments would cost ₹5.40 crore. 'Tenders have been invited for the work, which will be carried out at the Mumbai Central and Virar car sheds. We will retain the second luggage and vendor compartment in each train. This modification will be executed in a phased manner and should be completed within a year,' said a WR official. At present, each suburban local train on the Western Railway has 14 seats dedicated to senior citizens – seven each in the third and twelfth coaches from the Churchgate end. None of these seats is in the compartments reserved for women. Significantly, luggage-turned-seniors' coach too will be a 'general' class compartment. On losing one luggage compartment in each train, a senior railway official said there has been a sharp decline in the number of commuters travelling with luggage or large parcels over the years. It's only Mumbai's dabbawallas, who deliver thousands of lunch boxes to customers across the city, every day, that still use this compartment. But even their numbers have dwindled. 'There are barely 2,000 dabbawalas left in the profession, down from 5,000 in pre-Covid times. They used to ferry 75,000-1,00,000 lunch boxes in the pre-pandemic era, which is down to around half that number now. We hope the railway will allow us to travel inside this (modified) luggage compartment at specific times in the day,' said Subhash Talekar, president, Mumbai Dabbawala Association. Luggage compartments occupy 6.18% area in a 12-coach train but carry only 0.32% of passenger load. In contrast, general class compartments occupy 71% of area in a train but carry 90% of passengers.
Indian Express
07-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Mumbai dabbawala among three killed in pre-monsoon tree collapse
The city's first pre-monsoon spell took a fatal turn on Tuesday night after three people including a rickshaw driver and a dabbawala were killed following a tree collapse owing to gusty winds and rainfall, and crashed against a passing rickshaw in Kalyan's Chinchpada area. The victims have been identified as Uma Shankar Verma (45), Lata Dattaram Raut (47) and Tukaram Khengle (47), who was a dabbawala. While Raut and Khengle were passengers, Verma was driving the rickshaw. It was while the rickshaw was heading from Kalyan station to Chinchpada area when the mishap occurred. Speaking to The Indian Express, Namdeo Choudhary, chief fire officer, Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) said, 'On Tuesday night, sudden winds and rainfall swept the area. Owing to this, a huge Gulmohar tree collapsed and fell directly upon a rickshaw which was passing by, at that moment.' While the share auto was ferrying four passengers, one of the passengers managed to jump from the rickshaw in the nick of time, while three people remained trapped within. The impact of the heavy tree crushed the rickshaw, killing Verma and Raut instantly. As the accident came to light, KDMC personnel including firefighters and ambulances were pressed to the site to rescue the victims who were taken to the nearby civic run Rukmani hospital. The rickshaw driver and the woman passenger were pronounced 'brought dead' while dabbawala Tukaram Khengle's condition remained critical. However, late on Tuesday, officials from KDMC said that Khengle succumbed to his injuries. Tukaram Khengle had been working as a dabbawala for the past 25 years, and was the sole breadwinner in his family of four. He is survived by his wife, and two children. According to his peers from the Mumbai Dabbawala Association, Khengle had been a resident of Ghatkopar and had moved to Kalyan some years ago. 'Starting his day early at 8 am, he would deliver dabbas along the Central line railway route starting from Ghatkopar and to Byculla,' recalled Subhash Talekar, president of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association. On Tuesday, Tukaram Khengle was returning from his shift when he met with an accident. Following the incident, Khengle's body was taken to his village in Pune 's Rajgurunagar taluka wherein his last rites were performed. Like Khengle, Raut and Verma were also residents of Kalyan's Chinchpada area. Speaking to The Indian Express, Talekar said that the association is set to approach the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, appealing for financial assistance for Khengle's family. Meanwhile, Abhinav Goel, KDMC commissioner said that the municipal body has already identified dangerous trees across Kalyan – Dombivli areas. 'We will be taking appropriate action on such dangerous trees identified in our report in a bid to prevent further accidents in the future,' Goel told reporters, while assessing the spot of the mishap.
Time of India
27-04-2025
- Time of India
BMC damaging cycles parked outside rly stns, say dabbawalas
City dabbawalas' tiffin delivery bicycles parked outside railway stations are being damaged. Over the past two or three months, at least five bicycles used by dabbawalas to deliver tiffin boxes have been damaged, and rendered unusable. 'BMC officials are causing this damage…,' alleged president of Mumbai Dabbawala Association , Ulhas Muke. He said at least five bicycles have been damaged, most of them outside Goregaon and Malad railway stations since February, putting a financial strain due to repairs on dabbawalas. BMC, on its part, denied it has anything to do with this, saying it does not usually touch any bicycles that are parked outside any station. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The allegation comes at a time when the Union Sports ministry has been pushing for citizens to take to cycling for fitness or even commuting to work. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Invest $200 in Amazon without buying stocks to earn a second salary Marketsall Sign Up Undo Shivaji Mendge who delivers lunch boxes through the network said that the crossbar of his cycle -- the iron rod that connects the saddle to the steering handle -- was twisted and wrought when the cycle had been parked outside Goregaon railway station (east) about a month ago. He alleged that this was done by BMC officials who were evicting hawkers from outside the station premises. 'Hawkers at the spot told us that BMC officials had damaged the cycle… Also, I checked footage from CCTV cameras installed around the area,' Mendge said, adding that civic officials should cart away cycles if parking is prohibited there. He picks up lunch boxes from Gokuldam and around on his bicycle, heads to the railway station where he parks the bicycle and hops onto a train to deliver boxes to workplaces in Andheri (west) and around. He said he would rather cough up a penalty of Rs 300 or so that BMC might want to impose. 'But last month, I had to shell out Rs 3,200,' Mendge said about the expense to get the crossbar repaired. 'But why damage our cycles,' asked Mendge who said he earns around Rs 15,000 a month by delivery tiffin boxes. Another dabbawala, Kashinath Karvande, said his bicycle parked outside Goregaon station was also found damaged and left unfit for use over a couple of months back. Currently, he is using the bicycle of another dabbawala who is visiting his hometown. 'Once he's back, I'll have to return the borrowed cycle… then, I will need around Rs 9,000 to buy a new bicycle for myself… When BMC allows the rich to park their cars, whaat is the problem with bicycles kept by dabbawallas?' he asked. The chief of the dabbawallas' association said most complaints of bicycle damage have come in from Goregaon and Malad over the past few months. Assistant municipal commissioner of P/North ward, Kundan Valavi, said that hawker eviction drives are carried out, but clarified that his officials do not touch bicycles parked in the station area. 'This should not be happening from our side… But I will check on this,' he said. Anil Kate of BMC's licence department, which takes action outside railway stations, said his officials do not take any such action on bicycles parked outside stations. 'Nonetheless, I shall strictly instruct my team not to touch any bicycles outside stations,' he said. Dr Viswanathan Iyer, a neurosurgeon who is the bicycle mayor of Mumbai, said: 'Dabbawalas are the lifeline for many in Mumbai who depend on them for food. Also, they are an example of sustainable living and commute cycling. Anyone who is cycling to work should be encouraged and respected.'
