The sight has become routine in many Indian cities: rows of cars lined up outside liquor outlets, headlights flashing into service lanes, men drinking openly in full view of traffic, and crowds jostling at counters as if civic order has ceased to exist.
"The increase has been minimal, ranging from Rs 1 to Rs 4, depending on the distance of travel," a DMRC spokesperson said.
With the clock ticking closer to the mega inauguration of 14km of Metro network, including three crucial lines, there is good news for the commuters.
On 22 August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate three new stretches of the Metro network — the 2.45 km Esplanade to Sealdah section of the Green Line, the 6.77 km Noapara to Jai Hind Airport section of the Yellow Line and the 4.4 km Hemanta Mukhopadhyay to Beleghata section of the Orange Line. He will also flag off three Metro trains on these lines.
Commuters would soon be able to get real-time information on public buses while waiting at bus stops.
The Ghazipur landfill, commissioned in 1984, has long outlived its capacity, but still takes 2500 metric tonnes of garbage daily. The site should have been closed 17 years ago when it crossed its maximum capacity, but still lives on collecting tonnes of waste daily.
Having said that, it must be acknowledged that the Metro is poised to follow a very complex praxis, if the upshot of last Friday’s meeting between the Metro authorities and the West Bengal government is any indication.
Notably, pre-booking of travel slots to avail Kolkata Metro service has been made compulsory
As M.G Road, an important link for transport to and from Howrah towards Kolkata was barricaded by the police, several office goers could do little but walk back home.
Tensions have soared in recent days following the death on Friday of 22-year-old student Alex Chow, who succumbed to serious injuries sustained from a fall in the vicinity of a violent clash the weekend before.
