Kolkata tram users’ body demands restoration of services

‘Only three routes are in operation at the moment and none of them offer a reliable service’

An association of tram users in Kolkata is planning to hold a protest this weekend to demand mainly the restoration of services that were stopped after cyclone Amphan and that have remained suspended ever since.

“Calcutta tramways is experiencing a stepmotherly attitude from the Transport Department since the Left Front regime. They have worked hard to reduce the ridership, service frequency and reliability. As a result, the system is currently existing only on paper. Only three routes are in operation at the moment and none of them offer a reliable service. Routes have been shut down one after another, under one pretext or the other,” Debasish Bhattacharyya, a retired scientist and president of Calcutta Tramways Users’ Association, told The Hindu.