<p>With just a few trains running and thousands of commuters crammed into the coaches like sardines, life was thrown out of gear in Mumbai where trains carry nearly seven million passengers a day.<br /><br />The protests by more than 600 motormen, as the drivers are known, compelled the railways to issue a rare advisory Tuesday asking people not to commute unless it was a must.<br /><br />Officials said train services had been hit hard on both Western Railway and Central Railway.<br /><br />"People may undertake (train) journey only if it's very important," said a bulk SMS sent out by the railway authorities. Stranded passengers were asked to contact helpline 10721 for assistance.<br /><br />The motormen have been on hunger strike since 6 a.m. Monday demanding a pay hike among other things. Their strike led to chaos in the city during the evening peak hour traffic Monday.<br /><br />Sensing the critical situation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan indicated he would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.<br /><br />But as protests by the motormen found an echo in the Lok Sabha, with MPs from Mumbai and Maharashtra creating a din, the state government announced it was invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to force the drivers to return to work.<br />There was no immediate response from the protesting staff.<br /><br />The situation sparked off by the work stoppage worsened Tuesday, with the cancellation of nearly 80 percent of the total 2,000 daily services.<br /><br />The railways resorted to desperate - but insufficient - measures like permitting people to travel on long-distance trains on the same routes and making them halt at all suburban stations.<br /><br />The railways are also making alternative arrangements to grapple with the protest, considered the worst in Mumbai since 1974.<br /><br />The BEST and MSRTC chipped in to help the stranded commuters by deploying additional services in the city and elsewhere.<br /><br />Taxis and autorickshaws were in heavy demand. Many people were seen hanging on to the doors or perched on the roofs of the trains still plying on the system.<br />Mumbai University said any student delayed for the 40-odd final examinations need not panic. They would be permitted extra time to write their papers.<br /><br />The motormen's agitation has had a cascading effect on Mumbai roads and highways which have been plagued by ugly traffic snarls since Monday night. Similar scenes were seen Tuesday morning.<br /><br />So bad is the situation that the railway stir overshadowed the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case in which Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab was held guilty Monday.</p>
<p>With just a few trains running and thousands of commuters crammed into the coaches like sardines, life was thrown out of gear in Mumbai where trains carry nearly seven million passengers a day.<br /><br />The protests by more than 600 motormen, as the drivers are known, compelled the railways to issue a rare advisory Tuesday asking people not to commute unless it was a must.<br /><br />Officials said train services had been hit hard on both Western Railway and Central Railway.<br /><br />"People may undertake (train) journey only if it's very important," said a bulk SMS sent out by the railway authorities. Stranded passengers were asked to contact helpline 10721 for assistance.<br /><br />The motormen have been on hunger strike since 6 a.m. Monday demanding a pay hike among other things. Their strike led to chaos in the city during the evening peak hour traffic Monday.<br /><br />Sensing the critical situation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan indicated he would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.<br /><br />But as protests by the motormen found an echo in the Lok Sabha, with MPs from Mumbai and Maharashtra creating a din, the state government announced it was invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to force the drivers to return to work.<br />There was no immediate response from the protesting staff.<br /><br />The situation sparked off by the work stoppage worsened Tuesday, with the cancellation of nearly 80 percent of the total 2,000 daily services.<br /><br />The railways resorted to desperate - but insufficient - measures like permitting people to travel on long-distance trains on the same routes and making them halt at all suburban stations.<br /><br />The railways are also making alternative arrangements to grapple with the protest, considered the worst in Mumbai since 1974.<br /><br />The BEST and MSRTC chipped in to help the stranded commuters by deploying additional services in the city and elsewhere.<br /><br />Taxis and autorickshaws were in heavy demand. Many people were seen hanging on to the doors or perched on the roofs of the trains still plying on the system.<br />Mumbai University said any student delayed for the 40-odd final examinations need not panic. They would be permitted extra time to write their papers.<br /><br />The motormen's agitation has had a cascading effect on Mumbai roads and highways which have been plagued by ugly traffic snarls since Monday night. Similar scenes were seen Tuesday morning.<br /><br />So bad is the situation that the railway stir overshadowed the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case in which Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab was held guilty Monday.</p>