Motormen call off strike, Mumbaikars relieved

Mumbaikars on Tuesday evening heaved a sigh of relief, as striking railway motormen, who held the city to ransom for two days, called off their strike, following talks with the Maharashtra government.

The decision was taken after the state government assured that all cases against them would be withdrawn and their demands would be taken up with the Centre.

Striking motormen manning Mumbai’s local trains brought India’s finance capital to a standstill on Tuesday, with nearly 80 per cent of the regular train services cancelled.

“The government took the lead to resolve the crisis, as normal life was thrown out of gear due to the strike and people had to suffer lots of hardships,” state Home Minister R R Patil said. Patil, who held a meeting with the representatives of the striking motormen, reiterated that no action would be taken against the motormen. Earlier in the day, over 170 motormen were detained under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (Esma) after it was imposed by the Maharashtra government, in order to force them to resume their work with immediate effect.

State Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who had informed the Centre on the deteriorating conditions in Mumbai due to the motormen strike, took the decision on the invocation of Esma after an emergency meeting with senior railway police and state administration officials. The central government had given a green signal to the state government to impose Esma on the striking motormen.

The Central Railway had suspended 20 motormen under the Railways Act for their refusal to end the strike, terming it illegal.

Striking motormen manning Mumbai's local trains brought India's finance capital to a standstill on Tuesday, with nearly 80 per cent of the regular train services cancelled. While hundreds of commuters managed to reach their homes late Monday, the situation was worse on Tuesday morning, with the railways announcing the cancellation of nearly 80 per cent of the total 2,000 daily services.