Western Railway commuters’ group helps others financially

Passengers travelling in groups in local trains usually have a reputation for picking fights and kicking up a fuss over window seats and other trivial issues, but one group of passengers using the Western Railway have been helping fellow travelers who are in need, both financially and otherwise.

The group, which originally had eight members and now contains many more people who are beneficiaries who later joined them, is an eclectic mix featuring a CBI officer, an auditor, a male nurse and a pen seller, among others. The members of the group are all between 28 and 50 years of age.

The group, whose members board the train at Goregaon and get off at different stations ending in Dadar, started helping out fellow passengers around six months ago.

“We start our journey at 8.24 am from Goregaon railway station. Around six months ago, we came to know that one of the passenger’s parents both were suffering from cancer and he was an only son and could not manage their treatment expenses,” said Sandeep Khamkar, an assistant duty officer with the CBI. “We all decided to help him and at contributed Rs 500 each to help him. Later when his some insurance documents were not getting approved, we got in touch with out contacts and he managed to get his claim,” he added.

Members of the group said they had also extended financial assistance to senior citizens and drought-affected farmers.

Tukaram Dhondu Mohe, who sells pens in the train, needed Rs 15,000 for undergoing a surgery in his spinal cord. Bikaji Panvalkar, a male nurse at a fertility clinic in the city, said Mr Mohe told about his problem to one of the group members and they all pitched in to muster up the sum. However, when it was still not enough, they directed him to an NGO who helped him undergo the surgery, he said. Upon recovering from his illness, Mr Mohe also joined the passenger group. Other members of the group include Amol Kathe (high court clerk), Satyavijay Sadadekar (western railway, auditor) and Milind Vaidya (Mumbai Port Trust).