The government will operate buses for pandal hoppers in and around Calcutta and the districts during Durga Puja as a part of a special “Puja Parikrama” package.
A separate service will be available for visitors to Bonedi Bari Pujo within the city on Volvo buses on Saptami, Ashtami and Navami.
The buses will depart from the Esplanade bus depot at 8am and cost ₹2200 per person for a round trip. The price includes breakfast and lunch.
The transport department has also arranged a trip on the river Hooghly on board a launch during the festive days.
A launch will depart Millennium Park at 11am and reach Ahiritola Ghat after visiting Howrah jetty.
From Ahiritola ghat, visitors will board a bus for a trip to some of the popular
stops across parts of north Calcutta. The trip will cost ₹900 per person and last around five hours.
In Calcutta, trips on AC Volvo buses will cover some of the popular puja hotspots, including Ekdalia Evergreen, Singhi Park, Badamtala Ashar Sangha, Mudiali, Shibmandir, Mohammad Ali Park, College Square, Bagbazar Sarojonin and Bagbazar Pally.
Besides Calcutta, visitors will be taken on a round-trip from the city to Durga Pujas in the districts, including Basirhat in North 24-Parganas, Jayrambati in Bankura and Kamarpukur in Hooghly.
“Air-conditioned Volvo buses will leave Esplanade and Barasat at 9am. The fare from Esplanade is ₹2200 per person and ₹2300 from Barasat. These will be round-trip with tea, snacks, and lunch served to passengers,” an official said “Trips to Joyrambati will cost ₹800 on non-AC buses from Esplanade, and passengers will be taken to Kamarpukur on the return journey. Trips to Basirhat will cost ₹2,200.”
People planning to visit pandals in Calcutta from the suburbs can avail of non-AC buses for a round trip from state bus terminuses in Tollygunge, adjacent to Howrah station, Dunlop, and Barasat.
The buses will depart at 9.15am on Sasthi, Saptami and Navami and cost between ₹500 and ₹550 per head.
One can buy tickets online on www.wbtconline.com and physically from state bus terminuses at Esplanade, Jadavpur, Behala number 14 and Shyambazar tram depot.
“Besides, tickets can also be purchased from Paribahan Bhavan on RN Mukherjee Road and Ganesh Chandra Avenue.”
