On-duty Mumbai cops to be allowed to travel in local trains for free

Presently, GRP personnel are deployed in women’s compartments from 9pm to 6am on both the Central and Western Railway

The on-duty personnel of the Mumbai police will soon be allowed to travel in suburban local trains for free. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Mumbai Police later this month. The MoU will be for a year.

Another controversy which had stalled the inauguration of the fire temple was the earlier proposal to allow non-Parsis onto its premises, which was eventually cancelled.(Bhushan Koyande)

The railways, in a bid to increase police personnel on trains, has put forth a condition for the free travel. The city police personnel should react and help commuters during any emergency, it has said.

Presently, Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel are deployed in women’s compartments from 9pm to 6am on both the Central and Western Railway. They have been given orange jackets. The Mumbai Police personnel are likely to be given a different colour jacket which would help commuters identify them.

“The police personnel will have to be in the uniform and display their batches to board a train. Their presence will definitely increase passengers’ security,” said a senior railway official.

The demand to allow Mumbai police staffers to travel for free in local trains was made by the commissioner of police during a meeting chaired by railway minister Piyush Goyal after Elphinstone Road station stampede last year.