On Sunday, Adhalrao and Babar told The Indian Express that they would raise the issue in the Parliament and would also impress upon the Union Railway Minister to introduce additional local trains and increase the frequency of trains. In fact, Babar said he had already given a letter to the Railway Ministry, Central Railway general manager and Divisional Railway Manager conveying the demand of Pune commuters for introducing additional local trains and increasing the frequency of local trains.

Welcoming the initiative, Gulam Ali Bhaldar, president of the Chinchwad Pravasi Sangh, said despite best efforts of several commuter organisations over the years, there has been no success for anybody. “The railways have remained as unmoved as possible. No amount of petitions and memorandums work with the railways,” said Bhaldar. Pointing at the plight of commuters, Bhaldar said in 1974 when the local trains services were introduced there were only two EMUs. After a couple of years, two more were added. “But in last 30 years, there has been no addition to the number of local trains neither has the frequency of local trains been increased,” he said. Bhaldar said the two members of Parliament should forcefully take up the plight of Pune commuters with the Union Railway Minister and also in the Lok Sabha.

“If the Railway Ministry remains unmoved like it has done all these years, both the MPs should seek the intervention of the Lok Sabha Speaker. I am sure only pressure from all sides will make the railway ministry move. Otherwise Pune commuters will continue to suffer like what has been happening for decades now,” Bhaldar said. He said though the population of Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad has doubled in all these years, the number of local trains have remained what they used to be. Currently, four EMUs make 40 trips between Lonavala and Pune. One local train is available only after a gap of one to one-and-half hours.

Calling for aggressive initiative, Harsha Shah, president of the Railway Pravasi Sangh said both Adhalrao and Babar should not rest till they get local trains for Pune. “This is the issue which has been agitating lakhs of citizens. No people’s representative has taken up the issue seriously. Neither has the Central Railway officials,” she said. Shah said there should be a local train every five minutes to Pune-Daund-Bigwan, Pune to Nira besides Pune-Lonavala.

Rutuja Awagad, a resident of Paud Road, said if in Mumbai they can run a local train every two to three minutes, what is stopping the Central Railways from doing the same in Pune. “Why are Pune commuters being made to suffer for no fault of theirs. The railways should step forward to ease the plight of the commuters,” she said.