KOLKATA: A day after Metro Railway officials in Kolkata said that they are awaiting a clearance from the ministry of home affairs (MHA) to restart Metro services, Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that the railways can resume restricted services while maintaining social distancing norms. In response to this, railway officials in Kolkata said that they could resume services only after receiving the go-ahead from the MHA and the ministry of railways.
“The Metro can start operations if it wants but physical distancing will have to be maintained. Operations of local trains can also resume gradually. Maybe, they can start with a fourth of the total number of trains. We have no problems if the railways wants this. The railways can speak to us on this matter,” said the chief minister.
A senior railway official in Kolkata said that neither Metro nor Eastern Railway or South Eastern Railway have the authority to take a decision on this. Only after the Centre issues a notification on resumption of services, the modalities can be worked out. If the state desires so, it can convene a meeting with railway officials to work out a strategy and then pass it on to the MHA for consideration.
“To prevent the spread of Covid-19 among railway users stringent restrictions will have to be in place. The crowd management will not be possible without assistance from the state government. Even Metro that can impose certain restrictions on the entry of people will find it difficult to manage crowds, let alone the suburban networks. There are absolutely no restrictions on the entry of people in suburban stations. If any restrictions are imposed, there is the possibility of a law and order crisis. There is also no mechanism for 100% ticket checking in the suburban network that could help to check overcrowding,” said the official.
While the possibility of running suburban services under the circumstances seem bleak, Metro is also concerned about the logistics involved in restricting the number of passengers in every coach and on platforms.
“The Metro can start operations if it wants but physical distancing will have to be maintained. Operations of local trains can also resume gradually. Maybe, they can start with a fourth of the total number of trains. We have no problems if the railways wants this. The railways can speak to us on this matter,” said the chief minister.
A senior railway official in Kolkata said that neither Metro nor Eastern Railway or South Eastern Railway have the authority to take a decision on this. Only after the Centre issues a notification on resumption of services, the modalities can be worked out. If the state desires so, it can convene a meeting with railway officials to work out a strategy and then pass it on to the MHA for consideration.
“To prevent the spread of Covid-19 among railway users stringent restrictions will have to be in place. The crowd management will not be possible without assistance from the state government. Even Metro that can impose certain restrictions on the entry of people will find it difficult to manage crowds, let alone the suburban networks. There are absolutely no restrictions on the entry of people in suburban stations. If any restrictions are imposed, there is the possibility of a law and order crisis. There is also no mechanism for 100% ticket checking in the suburban network that could help to check overcrowding,” said the official.
While the possibility of running suburban services under the circumstances seem bleak, Metro is also concerned about the logistics involved in restricting the number of passengers in every coach and on platforms.
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