Mamata Banerjee slams Snehasis Chakraborty, state transport minister, for low bus count
Telegraph | 4 January 2025
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the state transport minister on Thursday for not having enough buses on the roads and said the department had turned “silent”, suggesting that it had stopped doing its job.
She instructed the minister, Snehasis Chakraborty, to personally tour the city and understand the plight of the commuters dependent on public transport and rebuked him when he said the frequency of some buses had increased.
“Transport department silent department hoye gyachhey (the transport department has become silent). Many people wait on the roads. I frequently get to see that,” Mamata said while addressing a review meeting at Nabanna.
In attendance were her cabinet colleagues and senior bureaucrats, led by the state’s chief secretary.
“Have you ever surveyed to find out where people wait the most after office and whether the frequency of buses can be increased?” Mamata asked the minister. “If the frequency is increased, they can commute better.”
The Telegraph published a report in Thursday’s edition that Calcuttans want better public transport and more buses at night in the new year.
Buses on most routes are far fewer compared with the number of commuters. The count drops further after 9pm and hardly any can be spotted after 10.30.
Calcuttans have to depend on expensive and often unreliable cabs for their everyday commute.
“Has the minister ever made surprise visits to some of the places in Calcutta? Has the transport secretary seen them?” Mamata asked.
“Didi aamra frequency bariyechhi kichhu (Didi, we have increased the frequency to some extent),” the minister replied.
“Kichhu? Kichhu kothar artha ki? Kichhu kothar kono ortho hoy na (Some? What is the meaning of the word ‘some’? ‘Some’ doesn’t mean anything),” Mamata said, visibly angry.
“You are the transport minister. It has to be ensured that people get buses while going to work or returning home.”
The chief minister instructed the transport minister to make surprise visits on working days across the city, including places where the IT offices are located and outside hospitals after the visiting hour ends.
This wasn’t the first time Mamata was vocal about the unavailability of buses.
On August 6, during a meeting with transport department officials, the chief minister had flagged her concerns about the shortage of government buses at night.
Senior transport department officials said the majority of the buses in the city and its adjoining areas are back in the garages by 10pm. That’s because the day’s second shift starts at 1.30pm and lasts till 9.30pm.
Result: Thousands of commuters are left at the mercy of unscrupulous and often unsafe cab operators at night. At multiple stops across the city, including the Ruby crossing, Shyambazar, Rashbehari intersection, Garia, Ultadanga, Rabindra Sadan and Taratala, passengers wait for long durations for buses at night.
Senior officials said around 750 government buses cater to the city’s demand in two shifts. Recently, 80 buses have joined the fleet and another 20 are expected to arrive soon.
“The frequency of buses has been increased on several routes covering hospitals, small-scale industry clusters, business districts and commercial and office areas,” said a senior official.
The reality on the city’s roads is a little different, though.
“We will re-assess the demand at night and make necessary changes to make more buses available,” the official said.