Title - Offices close early in West Bengal

Emphasising that the State Government wasn’t responsible for the current power crisis, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced here on Tuesday that employees of the State Government were being asked to leave work early, after the eastern grid collapse and subsequent power outage resulted in the city’s suburban railway services grinding to a halt.

“Since this situation is an emergency, we have decided to officially declare a holiday from 3 p.m. The local trains aren’t running, and we don’t want people to face problems returning home. If they leave early, they can find alternative means of getting home,” Ms. Banerjee told journalists at the State Secretariat.

“You may avail the Metro services, buses, or even walk home. It may take longer, but please make sure you reach home somehow,” she said.

She further stated that arrangements were being made to put additional buses on the road.

The Chief Minister also urged private firms to consider letting their employees leave the office early.

Asking the people not to panic, Ms. Banerjee said: “The grid failure in northern India resulted in the eastern grid tripping. The problem is being felt in every State in the eastern grid. There were some who said that this is a crisis for the State government, but the State government isn’t responsible for this.”

She also pointed out that while Metro services in Delhi had been disrupted as a result of the power crisis there, the services in Kolkata had remained uninterrupted.

Ms. Banerjee, who convened an emergency meeting during the day, said her government was keeping a close watch on the situation.