West Bengal Local Train: Kolkata local train services timings revised

Kolkata: In good news for commuters, the Government of West Bengal has increased the timing of local train services in state capital Kolkata till up to 10 pm in place of 7 pm starting Monday (January 3). The West Bengal government modified the local train service hours just a day after imposing restrictions on the same.
With Covid cases surging nearly 12-fold in just a week, the West Bengal government was forced to bring back tighter curbs on Sunday. It had also announced that local trains in will operate with 50 per cent capacity and only till 7 pm.
However, the state government today amended its order and allowed the plying of local trains in Kolkata till 10 pm with immediate effect.
Separately, the West Bengal State Election Commission today announced that no roadshows and bike rallies will be permitted during the campaigning for municipal elections.
“Only 5 people will be allowed for door-to-door campaigning. Political meetings at indoor locations will be allowed with 50 per cent capacity. Only 500 people will be allowed to attend political rallies in open spaces,” the West Bengal SEC said. On Sunday, the West Bengal government announced that in view of the COVID-19 surge, it was closing all educational institutions starting Monday and putting restrictions on flights from Delhi and Mumbai. Both Delhi and Mumba are reporting a high number of cases and flights from these cities to Kolkata will be allowed only twice a week. “As part of the restrictions, flights from these two cities will operate only twice a week — Mondays and Fridays,” Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi said. Further, Dwivedi announced that only essential services will be allowed between 10 pm and 5 am in the state till January 15. Also, all offices have been asked to operate with 50 per cent workforce only. On Sunday, 6,153 new Covid-19 cases were recorded in West Bengal. Of these, 3,194 new cases were recorded in Kolkata. The state presently has 16 cases of the omicron variant.