Kolkata: Commuters on Monday preferred the underground route as transport above the ground went missing since morning, forcing many office-goers to take unsanctioned leave. The Metro was a saviour when buses, mostly hired for rallyists, were unavailable and app-cab services were erratic. Till 3 pm, the Blue Line, which is the city’s transportation lifeline operating along the North-South axis, recorded a sharp spike with 386,033 commuters. Green Line 2, or East-West Metro’s Esplanade-Howrah Maidan section, ferried 39,528 people till 3 pm. Howrah was the Green Line’s most crowded station, earning Rs 3.1 lakh (cash) till 5.30 pm. “Compiling revenue generated from other means like smart card, UPI, and the Metro app, Howrah station earned around Rs 5 lakh till 5.30 pm,” an official said.The passenger count for Green Line 1, or East-West Metro’s Sector V-Sealdah section, was 29,501 till 3 pm. The less-used metro lines were more crowded than usual. Till 3 pm, the Orange (New Garia-Ruby) and Purple (Joka-Majerhat) lines recorded 3,276 and 3,430 passengers, respectively.Extra counters were opened at stations like Esplanade, Howrah, and Park Street. Extra staff members and RPF personnel were deployed to control the crowd. Manual passage replaced automatic fare collection (AFC) gates. Separate accesses were opened for smart card users for faster movement. As passengers were trying to squeeze in, a few trains were briefly held up at Esplanade and Chandni Chowk stations because the compartment doors could not be closed. RPF personnel were seen rushing in to help commuters board the trains. Escalators were turned off to prevent accidents.“It was like a local train journey. The compartments were packed with rally participants. I had to get down at Esplanade but could not. I went to Park Street instead and walked back,” said Pritam Saha, a Lake Town resident who boarded a train at Belgachhia.Above the ground, the dearth of buses or any other means of commute gave daily travellers a harrowing time. “I waited for 20 minutes for a bus to Park Street, then decided to take the metro from Thakurpukur station to Majerhat where I waited for another 30 minutes for a bus. Joined three others around 10 am for a shared cab ride to Park Street that cost us Rs 600,” rued Goutam Maji, a private firm employee. App cabs were cancelling at random. “At 8.30 am, at least four cab drivers cancelled rides to Esplanade,” said Tanima Mondal, who was forced to opt for an app bike for twice the normal fare. Very few auto rickshaws were seen in the morning. Buses from both the northern fringes (Barasat, Rajarhat, New Town) and the south (Behala, Budge Budge, Amtala, Sonarpur, and Baruipur) weren’t available since Sunday evening. According to Titu Saha of the City Suburban Bus Service and Tapan Banerjee of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate, it was the highest rally requisition in recent years.
