Mumbai! The bustling metropolis, the city of dreams that never sleeps woke up on Sunday to an unusual spectacle. Some of the city’s busiest roads looked deserted, devoid of the usual scurrying of Mumbaikars. With over 60 Covid-19 positive cases in Maharashtra, Mumbai is right in the centre of the coronavirus outbreak being the financial capital of India and also the entertainment hub of the country.
On Sunday, in the wake of the 14-hour Janta Curfew, the city came to a standstill.
The otherwise busy Western Express Highway bore a deserted look on Sunday morning with barely any commuters on the route. Dadar station barely had any takers of the local train. Few of those passengers who were present were checked for their identity before boarding local trains.
Mumbai’s Eastern Express Highway also saw little activity on Sunday morning with Janta Curfew in force. Bus stops were also mostly empty.
On Sunday morning, the general public was not allowed to enter suburban railway stations in Mumbai. Maharashtra Security Force (MSF) personnel were seen at the entrance of various railway stations. Police personnel checked for staff IDs of authorized passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminal.
With few autorickshaws operational in the wake of the Janta Curfew, auto drivers were seen overcharging in some parts of the city. Drivers were demanding rupees 50 from Kurla railway station to BKC – at least rupees 20 more than the usual fare for the route. From Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) to Bandra station, the auto drivers were charging as much as rupees 150 and rupees 50 from LTT to Kurla station.
Few passengers were seen waiting outside Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) on Sunday morning as no prepaid auto rickshaws and taxis were available outside the terminus.
“I arrived from Madhya Pradesh at 6 am and have been waiting to get a rickshaw to Kurla station. I have been living in Mumbai for 10 years and want to travel to Thane,” said Shankar Prasad Sharma who works as a security guard in a housing society in Thane.
Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/covid-19-unusually-deserted-as-janta-curfew-kicks-in-bustling-mumbai-shuts-in-to-fight-coronavirus/story-Oyl4oTisS4PDv5Vk1Qkf7M.html