West Bengal: Preparations in full swing across city station for resumption of local trains
West Bengal home secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay in a letter to the chairman of Railway Board said the resumption of local trains could be allowed while maintaining COVID-19 protocol. To maintain social distance, the work of drawing white circles is being carried out on the platform of the railway station.
Many people in West Bengal have already lost their jobs due to the lack of transportation. Some of the most affected are workers who would take their goods to the warehouse by local train on a daily basis. They have suffered losses while booking cars at high prices. And those who can't afford it are almost financially ruined.
When local trains resume, people will get back to their daily routine. After sending a letter to the Ministry of Railways on behalf of the state, the people of Bengal have been hoping local trains will resume operations soon.
To maintain social distance, the work of drawing white circles is going on in the platform of the railway station. Local train services will be resumed while maintaining COVID-19 protocol, including social distancing. From the daily passengers to the traders, everyone has to abide by the rules for boarding the train.
Preparations are in full swing before the start of local train service at Unlock 4. From Monday (August 31), the work of drawing circles with white colour has been going on at multiple stations of Sealdah-Bangaon and Basirhat branches. From Sealdah to Barasat, Bangaon, Hasnabad, Habra, Gobardanga and several other stations, the same picture has been seen.
After sending a letter to the Ministry of Railways on behalf of the state, the people of Bengal have been hoping for local trains to resume. State Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Railway Board. There has been a request to resume local trains in the state from September 2020.
Countless people travel on local trains in the state. The station has many shops. There are several businesses set up in the station premises. Everything stopped as the train services were terminated. Traders hope that the misery will be reduced if local trains are resumed again.
However, there is also a fear in the minds of people. Year after year, it has been seen that a huge crowd gathers inside the train. People fear that if the crowd gathers in the train during this pandemic, then there will be a high chance of infection of COVID-19. People have questioned as to how much social distancing can be maintained if local trains are resumed.