Mamata reprimands Transport Minister over Kolkata's bus shortage crisis, demands immediate action

Kolkata’s public transportation system is facing a critical shortage of buses, especially on routes serving key areas such as Salt Lake, Karunamoyee, and the IT sector, leaving commuters struggling with overcrowded buses and inadequate service. Passengers are regularly seen standing in aisles or even hanging from bus doors and windows, particularly during peak office hours. The shortage is causing significant disruptions for daily travelers, with reports of long waiting times and a lack of buses, especially during late hours when demand remains high.

In a recent meeting at Nabanna, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised the issue of the insufficient number of buses serving vital sectors like hospitals and IT zones. She pointed out that these areas were facing a severe lack of public transport, affecting a large number of commuters, especially during peak office hours. Mamata emphasized that the shortage was creating major difficulties for office-goers who were left to depend on overcrowded buses, or resort to more expensive alternatives such as cabs or app-based rides, which many commuters cannot afford.

Chief Minister Banerjee also criticized the Transport Department’s lack of engagement with the situation, accusing the department of becoming “silent.” She pointed out that neither the Transport Minister nor the department secretaries had conducted field visits to observe the real-time difficulties faced by commuters. Mamata stressed that the government needed to understand the ground-level issues in order to make effective decisions to resolve the crisis. She highlighted the disconnect between the department’s decisions and the actual challenges faced by passengers, urging that officials personally assess the problem.

Banerjee further questioned whether the Transport Department had carried out any surveys to evaluate the locations where buses were in short supply, especially in key areas such as Sector V. She noted that many routes, particularly those serving IT hubs and hospitals, were insufficient or unavailable, causing widespread inconvenience for people who rely on public transport for daily commutes. In addition, she raised concerns about the lack of buses during the evening and late-night hours, which left commuters stranded without reliable transport options.

In response to the Chief Minister’s criticism, the Transport Minister acknowledged that some routes had seen an increase in bus frequencies. However, Mamata Banerjee dismissed these claims as inadequate, stating that the increase in frequency had not been enough to address the ongoing problems. She emphasized that vague responses were not sufficient to resolve the crisis, and that concrete steps needed to be taken to ensure that buses were available for all commuters, especially during peak hours. She reiterated the importance of improving bus availability across the city to accommodate the growing demand for public transport.

The Chief Minister has instructed the Transport Minister to take immediate action and visit different parts of the city to assess the situation. She emphasized that solutions needed to be implemented without delay to improve the public transport system and meet the needs of daily commuters. Banerjee’s intervention highlights the urgency of addressing the transport crisis in Kolkata, with commuters continuing to face significant challenges in their daily travels due to the shortage of buses and inadequate public transport services.