Mumbai Activist Backs Staggered Office Timings to Save Lives on Overcrowded Trains

Last Updated Jul - 17 - 2025, 06:28 PM | Source : Fela News

WorkToLiveToWork campaign founder Nandini Dias supports Maharashtra’s task force on flexible work hours, citing urgent need to reduce fatalities on Mumbai’s sub

After the state government appointed a task force to study the feasibility of staggered office timings to ease peak-hour congestion on local trains, Nandini Dias — creator of the *WorkToLiveToWork* campaign advocating flexible work hours — welcomed the move. Dias, who sits on the executive board of Mumbai First and serves as honorary secretary of the Indian chapter of the International Advertising Association (which launched the campaign in 2018), called it “a step in the right direction” and expressed her willingness to contribute to the task force.

Dias launched the initiative after two personal tragedies linked to Mumbai’s crowded suburban rail system: the loss of her elder brother in a train accident in 2016, followed by her executive assistant’s death in the 2017 Elphinstone Road stampede, which claimed 23 lives and injured dozens more. “They were both casualties of crumbling infrastructure and the pressures of rigid office timings,” she said.

Dias highlighted that at the time the campaign began, Mumbai’s suburban railway was claiming around nine to ten lives daily — totaling approximately 3,400 deaths a year. In 2018, Central Railway reached out to 800 companies to adopt staggered work hours, but only 46 small firms (each with under 25 employees) responded positively. A renewed appeal for collaboration was issued recently.

She noted that while some companies are concerned that flexible timings could hurt productivity, the pandemic proved otherwise. “Covid-19 has shown us that productivity isn’t compromised by remote or flexible work,” she said.

Dias stressed that fear of pay cuts for tardiness pushes thousands of workers into dangerously overcrowded trains each morning. “If Mumbai’s infrastructure takes another decade to improve, tens of thousands more may die in the meantime — unnoticed,” she warned.

Her campaign proposes flexible office entry timings between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., to ease pressure on the most dangerous hour: 8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Reducing commuter load by even 25–30% could save lives and enhance employee wellbeing, she explained. “There has been progress — annual fatalities have dropped to about 2,600,” Dias noted.

The campaign has engaged top corporates like Tata, Mahindra, Birla, Piramal, Marico, and L\&T, along with organisations like NHRDN and Rotary Club, to communicate the benefits of decongestion and workplace culture reform.

Dias underscored that real change also hinges on government involvement. “Last year, central government offices were asked to adopt staggered timings, but without a solid implementation plan, it remained largely symbolic,” she said. “We need structured, accountable, and coordinated efforts to bring about lasting change.”

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Mumbai Activist Backs Staggered Office Timings to Save Lives on Overcrowded Trains

Mumbai Activist Backs Staggered Office Timings to Save Lives on Overcrowded Trains

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