CM Mamata writes to Centre to stop flights & trains from high-COVID cities to West Bengal

Amid surge in the Coronavirus cases, the West Bengal government on Tuesday urged the Centre to not schedule any flight from high 'prevalence' cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Pune to the state for two weeks. West Bengal Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha on Tuesday wrote a letter to Civil Aviation Secretary P S Kharola and requested him to stop the movement of flights from eight cities to Kolkata or Bagdogra for two weeks starting July 6.

'Decided to stop movement of incoming flights'

"West Bengal is also witnessing a steep rise in cases. A large number of cases have been reported from people coming (to) the state from outside with infection. The government of West Bengal has decided to stop or curtail movement of incoming flights and trains into the state. Accordingly, I approach you with a request kindly not to schedule any flight to West Bengal from high prevalence places like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai, Indore, Ahmedabad and Surat and stop movements of flights from these cities to Kolkata or Bagdogra for two weeks starting July 6," Sinha wrote in the letter. Sinha also requested the aviation secretary to limit the number of flights to Kolkata, Bagdogra and Andal from other cities to a frequency of once a week for each airline from July 6 to 31.

Moreover, the chief secretary made a request to the Union government to temporarily stop trains to West Bengal from places having high COVID-19 cases so that the spread of the virus can be stopped. This came after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had on Monday said that her government would urge the Centre to limit domestic flights to the state to just one day a week, as the number of infections would shoot up once people from outside started returning to West Bengal.

No regular services of Kolkata Metro till August 12 even as CM Mamata wishes resumption

Meanwhile, CM Mamata Banerjee also extended the lockdown in the state till July 31 to curb the spread of Coronavirus. On Tuesday, she also warned private bus operators to resume normal services from Wednesday, failing which the state government will temporarily take over the buses and run the vehicles during the lockdown period, as per provisions of the Disaster Management Act. City-based unions of private and mini buses have been adamant on a fare hike citing rising fuel prices, despite Rs 27 crore subsidy announced by the state government.

West Bengal govt releases fresh guidelines after extending lockdown till 31 July; Read

West Bengal's COVID tally

West Bengal on Monday recorded the highest one-day spike in COVID-19 cases with 624 new infections, taking the state's tally to 17,907, while 14 more people succumbed to the disease raising the death toll to 653, a health bulletin said. Thirteen, out of the 14 deceased, died due to comorbidities where COVID-19 was incidental, it said.

Since Sunday, 526 patients were discharged from different hospitals in the state after they recovered from the disease. The number of active cases is now 5,535, according to the bulletin.

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