With police estimating that around 1.5 to 4 lakh people from across the state will participate in the Maratha Kranti Morcha in South Mumbai today, and with the city bracing for heavy traffic disruptions, schools across boards located in the South Mumbai region will remain shut for the day.
Members of the Maratha community from different parts of the state began pouring into the city on Tuesday for the silent rally to be held from Byculla to Azad Maidan on Wednesday.
The Central Railway added general compartment coaches to nine long-distance trains coming from the Marathwada, Khandesh and Vidarbha regions of the state. Of these nine trains, only one was scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, while the rest reached on Tuesday night. State police sources said they estimate that around 75,000 people would participate from Kolhapur Range.
Around 40,000 from Nanded Range, 50,000 from Aurangabad, 50,000 from Nashik Range and Nashik City, around 40,000 to 50,000 from Konkan Range, and around 75,000 from Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai are expected to participate in the morch.
Maharashtra Police officers said the maximum number of vehicles were expected to ply from Kolhapur and Pune for the morcha. Parking arrangement for vehicles coming from other parts of Maharashtra have been made at Navi Mumbai and Thane, they noted.
“From there, participants are likely to take trains or buses to the venue. Traffic could be crawling on the outskirts of Mumbai. Efforts are on to ensure there are no blockages on state highways,” said a senior police officer, who is part of the team involved in traffic and security arrangements.
He added that the Riot Control Police, Quick Response Teams and State Reserve Police Force have been roped in for any eventuality. “We are not expecting any confrontation from participants. Our intention is to regulate the crowd so that the event passes off peacefully. Though there is no specific input in connection with any law and order issue for the morcha, preparations have been made considering all angles and eventuality,” the officer said.
On Tuesday, the state education department issued a circular to all the schools from Colaba to Sion and Mahim, asking them to remain shut on Wednesday. “Maratha Morcha could cause traffic congestion, which might affect school transportation. It has thus been decided that the schools in the region would remain shut on August 9,” reads a circular issued by BB Chavan, Deputy Director of Education for the Mumbai region.
The department has further asked schools to compensate for the lost teaching hours in the coming days. State Education Minister Vinod Tawde also made an announcement regarding the same in the state Assembly.
Chandrakanta Pathak, Principal at the HVB Global Academy in Marine Lines, said the school informed students about the holiday on Tuesday, after receiving the circular. “We have declared a holiday as per the orders of the state education department,” added Pathak. While some schools in Central Mumbai are expected to run, there won’t be any transport service, as schools fear traffic snarls.
The University of Mumbai has not declared a holiday and colleges in the region will function as per schedule.
