Kolkata, May 4 (PTI) The West Bengal government on Monday said private buses can ply intra-district with 20 passengers in green zones, while standalone shops will be allowed to open in all zones, barring the ones under containment.

Announcing relaxations in various zones across the state, state chief secretary Rajiva Sinha said though the Centre has extended the lockdown by two more weeks till May 17, it has given liberty to state governments to allow certain activities by assessing the ground situation.

"We are of the opinion that these relaxations announced by the Union government will dilute the lockdown, but we would abide by it...We want a balance between life and livelihood," Sinha said.

The standalone shops will be allowed to open from 10 am to 6 pm, he said.

There are four red, eight green and 11 orange zones in the state.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)