PremiumIndian Railways' Eastern Railway zone today in a statement said that the operations of all local, suburban and EMU train services in West Bengal will continue to remain suspended till further advice as the 15-day COVID 19-induced lockdown came into effect in the state.
However, "services of other Special Trains, Mail/Express Special trains, Parcel Trains, and Freight Trains will continue to run as per schedule, till further advice," the statement added.
Premium Premium With Metro services in the Kolkata have been suspended after which several frontline workers complained that they had difficulty reaching their place of work.
Meanwhile, Buses and other passenger vehicles stayed off the roads, and shops selling non-essential items had shutters down, in accordance with the curbs imposed by the government as part of the lockdown.
Police officers deployed in the city's nooks and corners intercepted some of the vehicles that plied on the roads to check their papers before allowing them to proceed.
A handful of people were seen waiting for their turn outside grocery shops, while some queued up next to vegetable and fish stalls at local market places early in the day.
The state administration has allowed sale of essential items for three hours amid the shutdown - 7 am to 10 pm.
A senior police officer here said necessary measures were being taken to generate awareness on the lockdown norms, and action would be taken against those flouting the rules.
In several bazars in the city and its outskirts -- such as Hatibagan, Gariahat and Sodpur -- customers, however, did not maintain physical distance and many vendors were spotted without masks.
Some hawkers who had their shops open beyond 10 am were forced to close down by the police.
West Bengal had on Saturday registered 144 COVID-19 fatalities and 19,511 fresh cases.
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