Durga Puja: No Metro at night, but restrictions to be relaxed
From 11 pm to 5 am during the festival period, from October 10 to 20, there will be a relaxation of restrictions related to the movement of people and vehicles, but there will be no Metro services.
Owing to the drop in COVID-19 cases and increased vaccinations, the Bengal government has decided to let people hop pandals all night. Thus, from October 10 to 20, which includes the period of Durga Puja proper from October 12 to 15 (Saptami to Dashami), there will be relaxation of restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles from 11 pm to 5 am.
Otherwise, till October 30, the night-time restrictions will remain in place, “except for health services, law and order, essential commodities including agricultural produce and other emergency services”, as notified by an order issued by the state government on September 30.
Other restrictions and pandemic-related rules and regulations would also remain in place till October 30, as of now, including wearing of masks, maintenance of physical distancing and health and hygiene protocol.
The state government has asked the Railways to run special local trains during the Durga Puja. Buses will also be available. Ten extra Metro services will be run from Kavi Subhash to Dakshineswar metro stations; instead of 156 trips, there will be 166 trips (that is, 83 pairs of trains).
A few other regulations related to the Metro services were announced today:
- No tokens will be allowed during the Puja days; only smart cards.
- If required, one can buy a smart card from a station at a minimum fare and return it at the destination station, and get the extra amount back.
Kolkata is slowly turning to normal. A large proportion of its population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, if not both. It is being hoped that the pandal-hopping spirit of the people will not be dampened because of the pandemic.
