Kolkata Metro sees dip in footfall amid Covid-19 scare

Metro Railway is witnessing a fall in passenger count, amid the restrictions imposed in the state in the wake of Covid-19 scare, its spokesperson said on Tuesday.

On Monday, passenger footfall stood at 5.32 lakh against an average of 6.2 to 6.5 lakh on any weekday, she said.

With schools, colleges and universities shut, and cinema halls and tourist places closed, passenger count of Kolkata Metro, the city's transport lifeline, has dwindled.

As a precautionary measure, intensive cleaning and sanitisation of rakes are being carried out regularly, Metro spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said.

Medical officers of Metro Railway are also generating awareness on the disease, Banerjee said.

"A fever clinic and an isolation ward have been opened at Tapan Sinha Memorial Hospital to tackle any coronavirus-related emergency," she said.

Passenger count in buses, too, has gone down over the last few days, West Bengal Transport Secretary N S Nigam said.

"Monday being the first working day of the week, there is usually a huge rush.... Number of commuters, however, was found to have dipped yesterday," he said.

Taxis and cab aggregators have also reported a decline in demand in the city, with fewer vehicles plying on the streets as several office-goers worked from home.

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