West Bengal government stepped up efforts to clean its public transport services as the number of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases increased to 147 in the country. A teenager was detected with COVID-19 on Tuesday in Kolkata, making it the first positive case in West Bengal.
Cleaning drives are on in state-run buses and vessels plying from various major ghats in Kolkata and adjoining areas. The number of state-run buses plying in 31 important routes of Kolkata and adjoining areas was increased from Tuesday.
Private bus operators, however, say that such drives are not being adequately carried out for private buses. Their unions have approached the government in the matter. Bus operators’ unions have also sought help from the government to distribute masks and sanitizers among bus drivers and conductors.
The railway authorities have started to clean interiors of rail coaches at regular intervals at various stations. Isolation wards have been opened in the railway hospitals of Kharagpur and Kolkata’s Garden Reach.
Quarantine departments with capacities of 1,000 patients each have also been started in some of the railway hospitals. Quick response teams (QRT) are being maintained in these hospitals to promptly check COVID-19 suspects at the respective railway stations.
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