Grid failure: West Bengal govt declares holiday

"We have taken a decision to declare a holiday in state government offices after 3:00 PM so that the employees can return home early in the absence of trains which are not running due to power failure," Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters at Writers' Buildings.

She said private offices were also requested to declare a holiday similarly in the interest of employees.

Stating that it might take 10 to 12 hours for restoration of normal power supply, she asked TV channels not to create panic over the issue.

Banerjee said she held an emergency meeting and spoke to the Railways to restart normal services within two to three hours and to see if trains could be run with diesel engines in the suburban sections.

The chief minister said Metro Rail services in Kolkata were unaffected.

Transport arrangements were being arranged for people by bus and lorry, she said.

Banerjee said the state government was not responsible for the power failure and that it was the fallout of the power outage in the northern grid.

"The crisis started from northern India with the failure of the mother grid and after the trippings there, a complex situation developed which impacted the eastern grid affecting all parts of the state, besides Bihar and Orissa," she said.

She said that a monitoring committee was formed led by private power utility, CESC limited.