The Maharashtra government on Thursday launched an online e-pass facility to enable fully vaccinated people to travel in suburban trains in Mumbai from 15 August. The online facility has been launched for those who have completed 14 days after the second dose of the Covid vaccine.
The "Universal Travel Pass" system is developed to make it possible for citizens to obtain e-pass conveniently and smoothly, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
Citizens can obtain travel passes from http://epassmsdma.Mahait.Org, a website developed by the state government, the release said.
On Sunday, the state government had announced that fully vaccinated people can board suburban trains, considered Mumbai's lifeline, from August 15 provided they have completed 14 days after the second dose of the vaccine, a step that marks a major relaxation in coronavirus curbs.
On Wednesday, the civic body had started an offline COVID-19 vaccination certificate verification process for issuing passes to fully inoculated people to enable them to board local trains.
“Those eligible after verification will be allowed to travel from August 15, 2021 onwards,” the BMC said, adding a total of 358 help desks will be set up at 53 railway stations falling under the BMC’s jurisdiction.
Apart from this, the BMC has also set up help desks at 56 suburban stations falling in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (outside BMC limits) by the respective authorities. The BMC said the help desks will be operational in two consecutive sessions from 7 AM to 11 PM.
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Earlier, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar had said that arrangements have been made at 65 railway stations in Mumbai, where quick response or QR code-based passes will be issued to people who have taken both doses of COVID-19 vaccine and wish to travel in suburban local trains.
The mayor also said that the citizens should not indulge in altercations as long queues are likely at ticket counters and the people should cooperate and follow the COVID-19 norms.
The state government had restricted local train travel to government employees and people employed in essential service staffers, since April 2021, to control the COVID-19 spread during the second wave.