Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee relaxes night curfew hours across state

After four extended lockdowns, the Centre, at the beginning of this month, said lockdown will only be applicable in containment zones till June 30.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who has already extended the lockdown in the state till July 31 to contain the spread of Covid-19, on Friday announced that night curfew hours have been relaxed in the state during the new period of lockdown.The new restrictions will apply from 10 pm to 5 am from the earlier 9 pm to 5 am.

Mamata Banerjee also said she wants the metro services to resume from July 1, but only with 100 per cent seat occupancy, and no passenger standing. (ANI photo)

After four extended lockdowns, the Centre, at the beginning of this month, said lockdown will only be applicable in containment zones till June 30.

She also said she wants the metro services to resume from July 1, but only with 100 per cent seat occupancy, and no passenger standing.

“We have decided that (from July 1) the night curfew hours will be from 10 pm to 5 am. We also want the Metro railways to resume services from July 1, by following all the precautionary and sanitisation norms and only with 100 per cent seat occupancy policy,” Banerjee said at a press conference.

She said the Kolkata metro railways should ensure that the trains run without any passenger standing or coaches being overcrowded.

In another development last evening, the railways said all regular time-tabled passenger trains, including mail express, passenger and suburban services which were suspended by the Centre till June 30, will remain suspended till August 12. The latest round of cancellations of trains comes in the background of a surge in coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases across the country.