Kolkata Metro resumption: Officials meet to discuss e-pass

The West Bengal government on Friday "proposed developing a system" for issuing e-passes to Metro rail commuters, and the matter has been taken up for consideration, Indrani Banerjee, the spokesperson of the rapid transit system here, said.

The West Bengal government on Friday "proposed developing a system" for issuing e-passes to Metro rail commuters, and the matter has been taken up for consideration, Indrani Banerjee, the spokesperson of the rapid transit system here, said. She, however, did not provide any further detail on how the system will be put to use.

Senior officials of the Metro Railway and the state government met for the second time on Friday to discuss issues related to the maintenance of social distancing norms and crowd management, before recommencement of services. "The state government has proposed developing a system for issuing e-passes, which will be provided by the Metro Railway. It has sought certain information from us to facilitate the process of issuing the passes," she said.

The officials are likely to meet again to finalize the modalities for ensuring strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols, with the focus being on managing commuters at the gates of the Metro stations, Banerjee said after the meeting. The Union Home Ministry, in its Unlock 4 guidelines, has granted permission for the resumption of Metro Railway services in cities from September 7 in a graded manner.

The state government subsequently issued an order to allow the recommencement of services in Kolkata from September 8.