Lockdown 5: Mamata allows pvt offices to work with 100% staff from June 8; says nothing on local train
Mamata has allowed reopening of religious places from June 1 with some restrictions.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced that all private offices can operate in the state with cent per cent workforce and govt offices with 70 % workforce from June 8. The jute mills and tea industry, however, are allowed to summon full staff strength from June 1, when all religious places will also have the permission to open provided they do not let more than 10 persons congregate at a time.
“Jute and tea industries will be allowed to operate with 100% workforce from June 1. From June 8, all government and private offices can operate with their full workforce,” Banerjee said at the state secretariat on Friday.
However, she later released another statement to clarify that the staff strength in government offices will only be allowed up to 70%.
“With multiple crises in the state, we have decided to increase State Government workforce capacity from 50% to 70%. Continuation of relief & restoration work is one of the top priorities & this workforce increase will ensure that public services are uninterrupted and unhindered,” she announced on social media later on Friday.
The private sector, she said should judiciously decide on the staff complement to ensure everyone’s safety.
“In the Private sector, I urge all to stay safe, work indoors as much as possible and to the best of their abilities. Prerogative lies with the respective managements of private entities to decide on workforce capacity & act accordingly,” Banerjee added.
Her decision to allow private offices to function with full workforce without clarifying whether local trains and metro rail will resume operations, created confusion among the office goers.
“If local trains do not ply, how would I reach office?” asked Samir Biswas, a resident of Serampore in Hooghly district, about 30 km from Kolkata, who works at a private firm in central Kolkata.
Some netizens raised the question on social media and some also commented on Mamata Banerjee’s Facebook page. There are many who daily travel for work to Kolkata from distant districts of Nadia and Burdwan, covering over 100 kilometers one way.
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According to CM Banerjee, “Government buses are plying with 20 passengers. Auto-rickshaws and taxis have been allowed to ply with two passengers. Whether more passengers could be allowed on buses, needs to be considered.”
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary Rahul Sinha said the chief minister was taking decisions without planning. Party state unit president Dilip Ghosh said, “The private busses have said they cannot operate with 20 passengers without increased fare. The government flatly refused any increase in fare. So, the private buses are not on the streets. I wonder how people are going to reach the office.”
In another important decision, she allowed the opening of religious places from June 1 while taking a dig at the Indian railways’ handling of the Shramik specials during the pandemic.
“Since the Centre is allowing huge gatherings in Shramik Special trains, not even leaving the middle berths empty, there is no reason why religious places should not be opened with restrictions. However, no religious gathering or festival would be allowed. Only 10 persons can gather at a religious place at any given time.”
In further potshots at the railways, Banerjee staunchly disapproved of its decision to reopen middle berths for occupancy in Shramik specials encouraging crowding. “I wonder whether they mean to run Shramik Special trains or corona special trains,” the chief minister said.
