To boost tourism in the city during the Durga Puja, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched two double-decker buses.
“Such buses are usually seen in London. They will tour the heritage and landmark places in the city and highlight the culture and tradition,” Ms. Banerjee said flagging off the buses. The buses, considered part of Kolkata’s colonial transport legacy, were introduced in the city during the 1920s and were phased out in the first decade of the 21st century. Attempts made to reintroduce them as a mode of transport in the city, which has one of the lowest road areas compared to other metropolises, could not fructify.
A statement by the State government on the launch said “special sightseeing services of the double decker” have the objective of “boosting heritage and cultural trails of Kolkata”. A ride can be booked online from October 23. The landmarks the buses will cover include Victoria Memorial, Fort William, St. John’s Church, Old Currency Building, Dalhousie Square, GOP, Great Eastern Hotel, Eden Gardens and Princep Ghat among others.
The Chief Minister said more routes can be added after considering the response. A few days ago, the Transport department started a cruise on river Hooghly touching upon the heritage ghats of the city.
Ms. Banerjee said her government will ask the Ministry of Civil Aviation to restore direct flights from Kolkata to European cities including London.
“We will request the Ministry of Civil Aviation because Kolkata is the gateway of the northeastern region. A lot of people want to travel to Europe from Kolkata. We want the flights to be restored and the direct flights from Kolkata should be a permanent basis,” she said. The Chief Minister said the flights operating out of the city to Europe are connecting flights via Mumbai or Delhi. She said letters were sent to the Ministry by the earlier Chief Secretary and has asked the present Chief Secretary to write again to the Ministry.
She said her government is ready to facilitate COVID-19 tests at the Kolkata airport and help the passengers returning from abroad if that is an issue with resuming direct flights to the city. “We have been pursuing this for 10 to 12 years and are ready to extend different facilities for the same.” Incoming flights to Kolkata not only from foreign destinations but six cities in the country were suspended till August 31 as per the requests by the State government to contain the spread of the pandemic.