With people flouting norms, police regulate count of passengers in buses

Kolkata: In order to maintain social distancing and adhering to the state government's directive of allowing only 20 passengers to be on a bus, police in Kolkata and suburbs have started regulating the number of passengers travelling on buses.

Besides, cops have been instructed to keep a strict vigil on the buses and stop it if necessary and confirm whether the number of passengers in the buses is in conformity to the directive of the government.

This comes after the bus services started from Wednesday in Kolkata and its suburban areas.

According to sources, after the bus services resumed, it was seen that people were flouting the social distancing norms and refused to follow the instruction by the bus driver and conductor. After several such incidents came to light on Wednesday, the Transport department officials got in touch with senior Kolkata Police officials and sought assistance.

Later every traffic guard and police station across the city were instructed to keep an eye on the buses as well as at the bus stoppages. Police personnel have been instructed to check whether any bus is carrying more than 20 passengers. If found, then passengers who had boarded the bus after 20 persons, are being asked to deboard. On Wednesday morning, two passengers were compelled to deboard from a bus near Ruby crossing on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.

Sources informed that to ensure no passenger forces a bus driver to stop on the middle of the road, police personnel have been asked to escort the bus in their respective areas riding motorbikes.

Apart from Kolkata Police, Bidhannagar City Police has also started checking the buses in the stoppages to ensure not more than 20 passengers have boarded a bus. On Wednesday morning, a team of police led by Traffic Inspector (TI) Airport, Sushanta Kumar Mondal checked a few buses and urged people to maintain social distance while sitting. Police have also boarded the bus and counted the number of passengers.

Every day 60 buses are plying in 15 routes. The services are offered with an hourly frequency between 7 am and 7 pm. On average the buses are carrying 20 passengers on each trip. In a few trips during the afternoon hours, around 15 passengers were seen availing the services.