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Bengal government to speed up vaccination in Kolkata’s suburbs to resume local trains
Local suburban trains connect Kolkata and Howrah with the villages and towns of the adjoining districts and thus form a major lifeline for the people coming to Kolkata for jobs every day. Howrah and Sealdah stations cater to more than two million passengers every day.
The Mamata Banerjee-administration is planning to speed up the vaccination process in the adjoining districts of Kolkata so that local trains could be resumed.
Senior officials said that while the government has managed to give at least one dose to 75% of population in urban centres like Kolkata, the government plans to vaccinate at least 50% of the population in the rural areas of adjoining districts with one dose.
“Once local trains are allowed, people from the adjoining districts would come to the city in large numbers. At present only limited number of people are coming because only buses have been allowed. Trains are suspended. For this we need to speed up things and vaccinate as many people as we can in the rural areas in the adjoining districts,” said a senior health department official.
Even though the state government has relaxed Covid-19 restrictions allowing buses, Kolkata Metro, auto-rickshaws and cabs, locals trains continue to remain cancelled.
“There is a possibility that the third wave may hit in September. We have to keep Covid-19 cases under control. People may have grievances because local trains are not running. But life is more important,” Mamata Banerjee, chief minister had said earlier this week.
Local suburban trains connect Kolkata and Howrah with the villages and towns of the adjoining districts and thus form a major lifeline for the people coming to Kolkata for jobs every day. Howrah and Sealdah stations cater to more than two million passengers every day.
“The government is targeting districts like South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia and parts of Bardhhaman where 50% of the people need to be vaccinated with at least one dose before local trains resume,” said another official.
In Kolkata, while around 38 lakh people have received the first dose, around 13.5 lakh people have received their second dose. The city has a population of around 45 lakhs as per the 2011 census.
Compared to this North 24 Parganas, which is the second most densely populated district in India and has a population of more than one crore, received around 26 lakh first doses. In South 24 Parganas, 12.8 lakh people received the first dose while in Nadia only around nine lakh people have received the first dose.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has shot off letters to the Prime Minister demanding more vaccines. She had said that even though the state has the capacity to give around 11 lakh vaccines every day, only around three to four lakhs vaccines are being given due to short supply.
The ruling Trinamool Congress has been mounting pressure on the Election Commission to hold elections and by-elections in seven assembly seats which are due citing low Covid-19 cases in the state.
On Saturday, West Bengal registered 707 new cases and 15 deaths. With 88 new cases North 24 Parganas reported the highest number of cases, while Kolkata registered 82 cases. The six districts including Kolkata, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia together account for 50% of the new cases.
