Dust from damaged Salt Lake roads leads to breathing distress
Times of India | 27 December 2025
Kolkata: The battered roads in Salt Lake, which have been a sore point for residents for months now, have become the cause for yet another problem—the high level of dust pollution caused by the damaged stretches have been causing breathing distress in the people living in the township.
Residents said although many parts of the main thoroughfares had been repaired, the condition of roads inside the blocks had again turned poor, with the upper layer facing wear and tear. Dust particles from loose bitumen strewn on damaged spots fill the air as vehicles pass by, they say.
The stretch connecting AE Block Part I with AE Block Part II has not seen any repairs in a long time. "Many elderly people living in the area are badly affected by the dust particles filling the air as vehicles pass by. Even the leaves on the trees in the area have turned grey, a thick film of dust having settled on them. If this continues, there will be serious health complications among residents, especially those prone to dust allergy," said Samit Chakraborty from AE Block.
The situation is similar in other parts of Salt Lake, too. "The battered condition of roads is causing severe dust pollution. This is affecting many like us. I have been suffering from a prolonged spell of dust allergy," said Santa Chatterjee, a resident of DL Block.
"Roads in a large part of Salt Lake continue to be in poor state, even after months of slow repair. Citizens are reduced to living in a dust bowl," said Dipankar Mukherjee, a resident of CL Block.
Doctors and health care professionals said patients with ashtma and COPD suffered the most during this time as more dust particles generate due to the dry air. Battered roads increased the problem, they said. "Dust pollution occurs from loose aggregates that are strewn across damaged roads that affect people with ashtma and COPD. The impact is such that if any such patient undergoes a surgery, the recovery during the post-operative period turns slow," said anaesthetist and critical care expert Shankha Subhra Chaudhury, a resident of Salt Lake IA Block.
It was after a long delay that the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) launched a road repair drive across Salt Lake from March, with around Rs 25 crore sanctioned by the state. Several stretches were repaired but many were left out, especially roads inside blocks.
BMC mayor Krishna Chakraborty said road repair work will be taken up again. "Road repair will be done utilising the councillor funds following all the procedural processes," she said.