Football carnival begins amid impeccable arrangements

Kolkata: For the first time FIFA Under-17 Football World Cup left its mark in the City of Joy on Sunday and timely execution of all plans of the state Transport department ensured smooth journey of football fans to Swami Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan.

Total 600 buses, mostly air-conditioned (AC) ones, have been deployed to ply on different routes all over the state.

Hundreds of officials of the Transport department have been posted at different parts of the state and they have been constantly ensuring proper movement of the buses that were given a new look with decorations based on the World Cup theme on its exterior.

Most importantly, the plying of buses have been monitored using the online based control tracking system that have shown the real-time locations of the buses on different routes. The unique concept of introducing shuttle bus service between Milan Mela and Ultadanga has become immensely successful with hassle-free transport facility for football lovers up to the stadium and that too without any traffic congestion.

People have lauded the initiatives of the state Transport department when they reached the stadium on time by availing public transport system.

Monojit Sarkar, a resident of Haldia, said: "I never thought that my journey is going to be so smooth. I took a special bus from Haldia and reached the city. I went to Milan Mela from where I boarded the shuttle bus that took me to the stadium. Moreover, the shuttle bus service was available just at an interval of three to four minutes so there was no need to rush at all."

All drivers and conductors, clad in uniforms, gave a unique look and it resulted to an international standard transport service in Kolkata when delegates from different countries chose to avail it to reach to stadium. Moreover, the training that was given to the drivers and conductors has helped them execute their duties with great proficiency on the eventful day with thousands of people from abroad visiting the city.

Motor Vehicle Inspectors were found posted at different places to ensure smooth plying of the vehicles. It may be mentioned that the state Transport department had also arranged similarly designed 80 AC buses for World Cup to bring school and college students to the stadium without any fare.