Kolkata: The continuous downpour over the last few days has led to fresh wear and tear on some of the main thoroughfares in Salt Lake. It was only recently that the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) conducted a road-repair drive across the township.
On Wednesday, TOI spotted craters on some of the main stretches across Salt Lake, like the one connecting Tank No. 13 to Anindita bus stop. "The stretch on both flanks was repaired a few months ago, but craters have resurfaced again. There seems no end to bumpy rides in Salt Lake," said Pradip Mukherjee, a local.
Things came back to square one along the road in front of the CGO Complex and Purta Bhavan, which were also repaired a few months back. Craters have already developed on the stretches surrounding Tank No. 9 and near Karunamoyee as well.
Residents of the township expressed their disappointment over the perennial problem they face while driving on Salt Lake roads. "The same story of stretches getting damaged after a few spells gets repeated every year. The civic authorities should strictly look into the quality of the road repair materials," said Dipanwita Bakshi, a resident of BL Block.
"We had faith in the civic authorities, but it appears that the roads that were newly repaired are deteriorating again. This is a waste of taxpayers' money. The civic authorities should properly look into the problem," said Ritesh Basak, secretary of the Association of Bidhannagar Citizens, a people's forum.
Bidhannagar traffic officers said craters have become a headache, particularly on stretches like the one from PNB Island to Vidyasagar Island, Vidyasagar Island to Laboni, and from Anindita bus stop towards Tank No. 13. "A proposal has been sent from the police to BMC to see if the stretches surrounding Tank No. 9 could be repaired with paver blocks," said an officer.
On March 3, BMC launched a road-repair drive to improve the condition of the battered stretches. Officials said that patchwork would be done to cover up the spots where craters are again developing.