New Delhi: After Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that the Mumbai local trains will open for those who are vaccinated against Covid-19 from August 15 onwards, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will start the process to issue passes on Wednesday for local train commuters in the Mumbai region.
According to the rule, a traveller is required to fulfill two conditions for taking a Mumbai local train. Other than being fully vaccinated, passengers also need to ensure that is a gap of 14 days from the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine before travelling.
How to obtain the passes for commuting on local trains?
Commuters in Mumbai locals can apply for passes both online and offline channels. The passes will be issued after verification of the vaccination status, the BMC said in a release on Tuesday. Those commuters who are looking to get a pass need to carry a hard copy of the Covid-19 vaccination final certificate and a photo ID for verification.
An application is being developed for the online method to help eligible travellers get monthly train passes on their smartphones. This train pass can be downloaded on their smartphones after thorough verification. Photo passes can be availed at ward offices and train stations for fully vaccinated passengers without a smartphone.
The pass will have a QR code to establish its authenticity.
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A total of 358 help desks will be set up at 53 railway stations falling under the BMC's jurisdiction.
Help desks will be set up at 56 suburban stations falling in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (outside BMC limits) by the respective authorities. Such help desks will remain operational in two consecutive sessions from 7 am to 11 pm. Commuters can visit the nearest station to their house for verification but avoid crowding.
Also, note that strict legal action will be taken if fake vaccination certificates are produced to obtain passes. The BMC informed that the facility will be made available online, for which the process of creating an app is going on.
To carry out the process smoothly, nodal officers have been appointed to carry out the implementation of the entire process and necessary training is being given to the staff.
"The offline process of issuing monthly season passes will continue on all seven days of the week till further orders and therefore people need not rush to the railway stations," the Mint report the civic body.
What to keep in mind?
It is important to note if any of the two documents are missing including a vaccination certificate and photo ID, the person will be denied entry at the railway station. The civic staff at a help desk will check the validity of the Final Vaccination Certificate (Second Dose) on the CoWin app.
"Once the verification is completed and both the documents are found to be valid, the certificate and the identification proof will be stamped in the prescribed format," the BMC said. The stamped Covid certificate has to be shown at the ticket window to acquire a pass.