COVID-19: Mumbai's Lokmanya Tilak Terminus witnesses passenger rush amid lockdown fears

Amid fears of a complete lockdown in Maharashtra, a heavy rush of passengers was witnessed at Mumbai's Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) for boarding trains on Thursday.

The Railway administration, including Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and local police, however, managed to control the crowd in coordination with ticket checking staff and only valid ticket holders were allowed to enter the station.

According to the Railway Administration, some people tried to enter the railway station with fake stickers and false identity cards but Railway and police staff stopped them from entering the station and boarding trains by checking their tickets and ID cards before their entry to Terminus building.

Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, trains at Mumbai's Lokmanya Tilak Terminus were earlier seen packed with migrant workers as they feared an impending lockdown.

Due to a sharp rise in COVID cases, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday imposed Section 144 in the state from April 14 till May 1. The curbs will strictly adhere between 8 pm to 7 am.

The guidelines said that cinema halls, theatres, auditoriums, amusement parks, gyms, sports complexes will remain closed till Section 144 is imposed in the state. Local train and bus services will be allowed for essential services only and hotels and restaurants will allow only take-away home deliveries. Petrol pumps, financial institutions associated with SEBI, and construction work will continue.

( With inputs from ANI )