Tram enthusiasts protest over bitumen at Rabindra Sarani–Mahatma Gandhi Road crossing
Telegraph | 20 July 2025
Pouring rain and waterlogged streets were no deterrents for a group of tram enthusiasts who gathered at the Rabindra Sarani–Mahatma Gandhi Road crossing on Saturday to protest the pouring of bitumen over tram tracks there.
Although the bitumen has since been removed, members of the Calcutta Tram Users Association said the act violated a court order, and they demanded to know who was responsible.
“Calcutta High Court has issued an order restraining the authorities from pouring bitumen over tram tracks, yet it was done. We filed a police complaint after it came to our notice,” said Debashis Bhattacharya, the president of the association.
On July 13, the association filed a complaint at Burrabazar police station.
The bitumen was removed after the complaint. “One of our members noticed on Thursday that the bitumen had been scraped off,” said Indranil Banerjee, a member of the association.
A police officer said: “We are probing as to who poured the bitumen and who removed it.”
Saturday’s protest became uncertain after heavy rain lashed the city and several roads got inundated.
However, tram lovers braved the odds to reach the protest venue — the same place where the bitumen was poured over tram tracks. “We expected more people. Rain reduced the turnout, but some people still managed to make it,” said a protester.
They also demanded that tram routes from Howrah to various parts of the city be restored.
“Tram tracks still exist on MG Road. There were at least five routes running from Howrah till few years ago. The overhead wires supplying electricity to the tram cars are still there. There is no reason for not restarting the operations,” said Bhattacharya.
The state government is opposed to running trams in the city, except on a limited stretch.
In September, transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty said that the government would run trams only on a stretch between Esplanade and the Maidan.
Mayor Firhad Hakim also said that the government will keep trams as “heritage transport”.