MUMBAI: Following student protests in Delhi and the resignation of the Union Education Minister, the ruling establishment has initiated an outreach programme to connect with Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
In Mumbai, a few days ago, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat opened a friendly dialogue with Gen Z and Gen Alpha, describing their protests as a form of dialogue.
Now, Tejasvi Ghosalkar, a BJP corporator from Asia’s richest civic body, has written to the Railway Ministry seeking three coaches on Mumbai’s local trains to be reserved for Gen Z and Gen Alpha students for comfortable commuting to schools and colleges.
In her letter to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Ghosalkar stated that three of the 12 coaches in Mumbai’s local trains should be reserved for students from the Gen Z and Gen Alpha generations travelling to schools and colleges.
She said these three coaches should remain reserved for students from 5 am to 11 am on the Churchgate to Dahanu and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Dombivli-Asangaon routes.
Tejasvi Ghosalkar is a BJP corporator who won from BMC Ward No. 2. She joined the BJP from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on the eve of the elections.
In her letter, Ghosalkar said she had experienced how difficult it was to commute by local train as a student. Therefore, the three coaches should be reserved to provide relief to students, as they are the future of the nation, and allow them to travel on the Central and Western Railways.
At present, two coaches are reserved for women on Mumbai’s local trains. Apart from this, one coach is reserved for first-class passengers and one for goods.
She said her demand should be considered and a decision should be taken on it. “Once this decision is taken, on these reserved for student should be written on these reserved compartments of the Mumbai’s local trains."
It has been observed that during the morning and evening rush hours, apart from the reserved coaches, the remaining compartments of local trains are crowded, while they are overcrowded during peak hours.
In fact, during rush hours, the first-class compartment is also overcrowded and there is no difference between the first-class and second-class compartments of local trains.
