Large Crowd Of Travellers Outside Mumbai’s Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Railways Terms It Normal Summer Rush And Appeals For Calm

A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced the imposition of section 144 in Maharashtra from 8 PM of 14 April, a huge crowd was seen waiting to board the long- distance trains at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai.

On Wednesday (14 April) morning, The Times of India tweeted a video showing a huge crowd in long queues waiting in front of the railway station to board the trains.

In reply, Central Railway tweeted that security and TC staff are guiding the reserved ticket passengers to board the train and that the crowd were waiting to board two special trains. Adding that it is a normal summer rush, Railways appealed to the public not to panic.

On Tuesday (13 April), Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray in an address announced the imposition of section 144 in Maharashtra from 14 April.

Under this section 144, all the establishments will be shut down in the state except for essential services which will run from 7 AM to 8 PM. The public transport will ply only for essential workers and the general public can only avail it in case of an emergency. Only takeaway and home deliveries from restaurants will be allowed, dining will remain closed.

Thackeray also said that there is a shortage of beds and medicines in Maharashtra as Covid-19 cases continue to rapidly rise in the state. He has also called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to engage the air force in airlifting oxygen from other states.