WB govt to run 100 minibuses to reduce commuter woes in North Kolkata

West Bengal government has decided to run 100 minibuses in the northern outskirts of the city from November one to reduce the hardship of people caused by the closing of Tallah Bridge on the arterial B T Road for heavy vehicles, state minister Suvendu Adhikary said on Friday. Movement of buses has been stopped across the bridge after experts found it to be in a rickety condition. The Barrackpore Trunk (B T) Road connects vast parts of the northern outskirts and North 24 Parganas district to the city.

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Adhikary, the transport minister, said several 24- seater buses have already been put into service to reduce the problem of the people travelling on these routes. Diversion of bus routes to avoid Tallah Bridge have also led to pulling off services by many operators citing losses owing to increased fuel costs and lack of passengers. To compensate for the reduced number of buses on this route, the government will run 100 minibuses of West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) on diverted routes bypassing the bridge, Adhikary said.

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He said the Metro Railway has also agreed to run 10 extra trains from northern terminal station Noapara to cater to the increased load of passengers. The railway has already commenced three such services, he said. But since this would prove to be inadequate compared to the huge number of commuters, the government has decided to run 100 buses, the minister said. 

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