Kolkata Metro announces night-long services during Durga Puja; over 300 special trains on agenda

With Durga Puja, the annual Hindu festival in the Indian subcontinent, especially West Bengal, just two weeks away, the Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation on Wednesday announced special nigh-long services between Mahasaptami to Mahanavami days, preceding the much-awaited festival.

Announcing the passengers friendly service during Durga puja days, Kolkata Metro general manager PC Sharma said, "People from the city and outside come for pandal-hopping during Durga Puja and use the Metro Railway as a convenient and fast transport".

Keeping in mind the safety and security of passengers, additional security personnel have been deployed across the city of joy, Kolkata.

"Apart from commando teams, around 250 staff and officers will be deployed in each shift for maintaining security at the stations at Dum Dum and Kalighat stations. In order to avoid any technical glitch during the puja days, technical staff will be deployed in trains apart from different stations," Sharma added.

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From Mahasaptami, i.e. September 16, 2018 to Mahanabami, i.e. September 18, 2018, metro will run 224 special trains between Noapara in the north to Kavi Subhash station in the south. The special services will be available from 1.40 pm to 4.00 am the next day morning. To serve the sea of humanity on Bijoya Dashami or Dussehra, 118 services will be run from 1.40 pm to 10.00 pm.

Talking about the pre-puja days, extra services will be run from 8.00 am to 11.10 pm on Chaturthi, October 13, 2018.

This year, Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava will be celebrated across West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Tripura, Bangladesh from October 15 to October 19, 2018. The week-long festival, which marks Goddess Durga's victory over demon king Mahishasura, is being observed with much more grandeur and zeal across the country.

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People wear new clothes, exchange sweets, clean their houses and take part in various cultural programmes to make those days extra special.

Like all other Indian festivals, food is also an important part of Durga Puja. People love to indulge in special food and prepare shukto, payesh, malpua, various chicken and muttin dishes and fishes like hilsa, bhetki and prawns.

Since, Durga Puja is a perfect time for family reunion and people from across the globe head to their homes to meet their loved ones, here we wish you a Subha Sharodiya in advance.