Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve the resumption of local trains in Mumbai for people engaged in providing essential services. He also asked for the deployment of Central forces in the state to give some respite to the overworked police teams if needed.

The chief ministers of all states had an online meeting with the prime minister on Monday to discuss the coronavirus situation in the country. Modi asked the chief ministers to provide a blueprint of their strategies to exit the lockdown in a phased manner.

“Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has demanded to the Central Government to re-start Mumbai suburban trains only for employees engaged in providing essential services,” the Maharashtra chief minster’s office tweeted after the meeting. “They can be allowed to travel after displaying their identity cards.”

During the videoconference with Modi, Thackeray also said that any decision on the lockdown must be taken very cautiously. He cited the resurgence of coronavirus cases in China’s Wuhan city, where the pandemic originated late last year and reports stating that the peak is yet to arrive. He assured the prime minister that Maharashtra will fully comply with the lockdown guidelines.

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Thackeray added that the Centre must make its manpower available to Maharashtra if required. “Doctors, medical staff, and police are working round-the-clock, and need a respite,” his office quoted him as saying. “The police, who are maintaining law and order, need to take rest as they are falling sick due to long hours of work.”

Last week, the Maharashtra Chief Minister had dismissed speculation that the Indian Army will be deployed in Mumbai, where the number of coronavirus cases have being rising uncontrollably. He had said that his government will ask the Centre for additional forces only if required.

Modi held his fifth meeting with chief ministers of all states on the coronavirus situation in India on Monday, with focus on a strategy for a phased exit from the nationwide lockdown. At the meeting, the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Chhattisgarh opposed the resumption of railway services. The chief ministers of Bihar, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh suggested that the lockdown should be extended.

The number of coronavirus cases in India rose to 70,756 and the toll climbed to 2,293, according to the Union health ministry’s Tuesday morning update. Maharashtra is the worst hit state with over 23,000 cases and 868 deaths.