12 Kolkata: Despite marked improvement in traffic situation in city following the bottlenecks on Dhanteras on Wednesday, sluggish vehicular movement was witnessed in many areas as parts of roads were encroached by Kali Puja pandals.
Key roads like Amherst Street, SN Banerjee Road, Raja Rammohan Sarani, Beliaghata Road, Monoharpukur Road, and Hazra Road witnessed partial closure due to the pandals. Massive diversions of buses from BB Ganguly Street to MG Road, due to last-minute Diwali shopping rush, also added to the traffic challenges.
Several puja organisers were seen setting up dais close to their pandals, blocking off a major portion of the road. Some even went ahead and set up barricades, claiming it was necessary as the pandal hoppers started trickling in. Such problems prevailed on Hazra Road.
Cops said pressure on the main roads on Wednesday eased out after a section of people left the city for Diwali and Chhath. "We are hoping for traffic to normalise from Thursday," police said.An accident on Maa Flyover on Wednesday morning led to a 45- minute traffic jam. Commuters claimed that the cops failed to send a warning after the accident asking motorists to take an alternate route.On Beliaghata Main Road, it took close to 50 minutes to reach Sealdah from Building More.