Railway strike strands Mumbai commuters

New Delhi - A strike by drivers on Mumbai's suburban railway network stranded more than 6 million commuters in India's financial hub Tuesday, news reports said.

The Western and Central railways, which run the local train services that are the lifeline of commuters in Mumbai, were running just 15 per cent of its trains, NDTV news channel reported.

The drivers began the strike Monday evening to demand higher wages and allowances.

The dispute spilled over into parliament, which adjourned for an hour amid heated arguments between opposition and ruling alliance members.

Mumbai's western and eastern express highways were jammed with commuters looking to reach their destination, NDTV reported.

At least 170 striking drivers were taken into custody for unlawful assembly and obstructing rail employees from reporting for work, Government Railway Police Commissioner Tukaram Chavan was quoted as saying by PTI news agency.

"We have deployed adequate police force at all the stations in Western and Central railways to avoid any violent situation," Chavan said.

Ten drivers were dismissed for refusing to work and the government was considering whether it should invoke the provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act, which would make the strike illegal, PTI reported.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan called an emergency meeting with police, railway and transport officials to discuss the situation.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321873,railway-strike-strands-mumbai-commuters.html.