Packed Metro trains to deserted eateries, the first day of the fresh curbs in Kolkata threw up different pictures. The pictures suggested that people who have to step out for work continued to do so, making social distancing virtually impossible on trains and buses. But the fear of a fresh surge in Covid cases, driven by the Omicron variant, was palpable in people choosing home over restaurants and malls.
Here’s what Kolkata looked like on the first day of the new curbs.
Metro Railway
The absence of tokens dragged the footfall down on Monday. The count was around 2.17 lakh, said an official. The number had been hovering around 3.5 to 4 lakh for the past few weeks.
Metro Railway officials are interpreting the 50 per cent cap as half of the average daily passenger count before the pandemic, which was between six and seven lakh.
A snag in the third rail power supply system at Sovabazar station stopped the Metro services between Maidan and Dum Dum stations for over two hours from 2.40pm. Trains ran between Dum Dum and Dakshineswar in the north and Maidan and New Garia in the south. Beside causing harassment for thousands, the snag also brought the passenger count down.
During the morning and evening rush hours, Covid compliance was limited to masks only. “I boarded a train from Dum Dum at 9.35am. The seats were mostly full. By the next couple of stations, it was difficult to stand,” said a woman who takes the Metro almost every weekday to travel between her home and office in Rabindra Sadan.
It was only in the afternoon that the alternate markings on the seats were visible and adhered to for a brief while. The public address systems at stations kept on urging people to follow Covid norms. RPF jawans also prodded passengers who were not wearing their masks properly.
Malls
Malls wore a deserted look on Monday and the next few days were likely to be similar, felt operators. “Mondays are usually lean but we still get over 40,000 visitors this time of the year. Today, the count till evening suggests the number would not go past 20,000,” said an official of South City mall.
The food court had barely a handful of tables occupied.
Quest Mall also looked deserted. “We hardly had any transactions today. The wedding season is here and the fresh surge could not have come at a worse time,” said an employee of an apparel store.
The Sunday notification said malls could remain open till 10pm. But the same notification said the night curfew would set in from 10pm. The deadline has created an uncertainty in the minds of mall operators on the closure time.
“We will close by 9pm on Monday but we will seek a clarification from the state government,” said an official of Quest Mall. An official of Acropolis said the footfall was “way lower than usual”. The mall would completely close by 9.30pm, she said. South City Mall also closed at 9.30pm.
Restaurants
From people coming out to eat with a vengeance to vacant tables across lunch and dinner at most restaurants, the situation has changed in a week. Most restaurants have blocked half the tables to implement the 50 per cent cap. But the footfall on Monday did not require any extra arrangements.
Restaurateurs do not see things changing anytime soon. “There is hardly any diner walking in,” said Anand Puri, the owner of Trinca’s on Park Street in the central business district. “I don’t think the situation is going to change in the near future. Festivities over and the Covid cases surging, people will not prefer stepping out of their homes.”
“In the afternoon, there was absolutely nothing. From 4.30pm, some people started trickling in,” said Anirban Sengupta of What’s Up! Café on Southern Avenue in south Kolkata.
