Airlines -- Jet Airways: tel. 033/3989-3333. Kingfisher Airlines: tel. 1800-1800-101. Air Sahara: tel. 1600-22-3020. Indian Airlines: tel. 033/2511-9720.
Ambulance -- Bellevue Clinic, 9 Loudon St. (tel. 93318-41265 or 98318-21850) has a 24-hour ambulance service.
American Express -- The office is located at 21 Old Court House St., near Raj Bhavan (tel. 033/2222-3001 or -3026). Open Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm and Saturday 10am to noon.
Area Code -- The area code for Kolkata is 033.
ATMs -- There are plenty of 24-hour ATMs: Citibank (Kanak Bldg., 41 J.L. Nehru [Chowringhee] Rd.; tel. 033/2283-2484), UTI Bank (7 Shakespeare Sarani; tel. 033/2282-2933), HDFC Bank (Stephen House, 4 B.B.D. Bagh E.; tel. 033/2210-7546), Standard Chartered Grindlays Bank (41 J.L. Nehru [Chowringhee] Rd.; tel. 033/2242-8888), and HSBC Bank (8 Netaji Subhash Rd., 31 B.B.D. Bagh; tel. 033/2243-8585).
Banks -- Most banks are open Monday to Friday 10am to 2 or 3pm, and Saturday 10am to noon.
Car Rentals -- Contact Car-Cab (2, Manook Lane, off Ezra St., Kolkata 1; tel. 033/2235 -3535), Rs 90/hour for a maximum of 50km (31 miles). Avis Rent-A-Car is at The Oberoi Grand (15 Jawaharlal Nehru Rd.; tel. 033/2249-2323, ext. 6325 or 6335).
Consulates -- United States: 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani; tel. 033/2282-3611; Monday to Friday 8am to 1pm and 2 to 5pm. United Kingdom: 1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani; tel. 033/2288-5172; Monday to Friday 8:30am to 1pm and 1:30 to 4pm. Canada: Duncan House, 31 N.S. Rd.; tel. 033/2230-8515; Monday to Friday 9:30am to 1pm.
Currency Exchange -- Thomas Cook is at 19B Shakespeare Sarani, first floor (tel. 033/2283-0473 or -0475); hours are Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 6pm.
Drugstores -- Twenty-four-hour chemists include AMRI Apollo Hospital Pharmacy (P4 Gariahat Rd., Block A-29; tel. 033/2461-2626, ext. 606), Dhanwantary (48A/1 Diamond Harbour Rd.; tel. 033/2449-3204), Jeevan Deep (1-14B Hazra Rd.; tel. 033/2455-0926), and Life Care (1/2A Hazra Rd.; tel. 033/2475-4628).
Emergencies -- For fire brigade, dial tel. 101 or 033/2244-0101.
Hospitals -- Belle Vue Clinic (9 U.N. Brahmachari St.; tel. 033/2287-2321, -6921, -6925, or -7473) also has a blood bank. There are English-speaking doctors at the 24-hour B.M. Birla Heart Research Center (1/1A National Library Ave.; tel. 033/2456-7001 to -7009).
Newspapers & Magazines -- Peruse the pages of The Statesman, one of India's oldest English dailies, for information about special events. Kolkata's other very popular paper is The Telegraph, which has a metro section that lists local events.
Police -- Dial tel. 100 or 033/2250-5000 through -5004. Police headquarters are in Lal Bazaar (tel. 033/2214-3230 or -3024).
Post Office -- B.B.D. Bagh; Monday to Saturday 8am to 8:30pm and Sunday 8am to 3:30pm.
Sorry, Wrong Number . . . -- Dial tel. 1952 for a recorded message (in English) if the number you're dialing has been changed.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
