100 special shuttle buses from Park Street on Christmas Day

Kolkata: The state Transport department will operate 100 special shuttle buses on Christmas Day to ensure safe and hassle-free journey of commuters up to their destinations from Park Street and its adjoining areas during night hours.

The festive mood ahead of Christmas has already set in with Park Street being decked up with lights. Now, the wait is only for the day when thousands of people visit Park Street and its adjoining places to soak in the fervour.

Usually, the crowd starts to gather from the evening and the place remains packed till 11.30 pm to midnight. So the state Transport department has decided to operate 100 shuttle buses that will connect Park Street with different points in and around the city for a few hours from the evening on Christmas Day, an official said adding that buses will be parked at Maidan area which is a walking distance from Park Street.

It would not be possible to operate the buses right from Park Street crossing as it will lead to unnecessary traffic congestion. People will have to walk up to Maidan area to avail the shuttle buses to reach their respective destinations in and around Kolkata.

There was a coordination meeting with the officials of the state Transport department and top brass of the Kolkata Police regarding the same. A proper plan of action has been chalked out to ensure that people do not face any inconvenience while returning home on that day.

The Kolkata Police have also prepared an elaborate plan to ensure safety and security of one and all. There will be a tight security arrangement in the area to avoid any untoward incident on the day when thousands will be visiting the place.

It may be mentioned that during FIFA Under-17 Football World Cup in October, the state Transport department had engaged 100 shuttle buses from Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake on different routes to help people reach the nearest points from where they could take another transport to reach their destinations. It turned out to be a huge success.

It may be mentioned that there will be shuttle services from Eco Park as well on December 31 and January 1 when a record number of people is expected to turn up.