Kolkata: Motilal Gupta Road, which connects Sakherbazar in Behala to Tollygunge, has been lying in shambles and crying out for early repair. In fact, it was an endless wait for the residents of Behala to get rid of the pathetic condition of the connecting thoroughfare for more than five years.
Several parts of the road were dug up over the past several years, and the condition has worsened due to hasty repairs. While residents of the area time and again complained about the bad condition of the roads, they were consoled by the Kolkata Environment and Infrastructure Improvement Project (KEIIP) officials that they would pave the entire length of the road afresh once the drainage upgrade project was completed.
"Neither the drainage upgrade project is getting completed, nor are we getting back the road. The project is dragging on for the past several years," said Bikash Chandra Pal, a retired professor and a resident of Sakherbazar.
The Kolkata traffic police said it faced severe trouble keeping this important road link between Behala and Tollygunge functional, even as it banned all forms of large vehicular movement on this stretch since May last year. While the autos from Sakherbazar and Behala Chowrasta took this route, the normal 15-18 minute journey took around 25 to even 40 minutes. "There are at least five spots where only single-lane travel is possible. Hence, movement on one flank is held up — whether at Sodepur or Ashram Crossing — to allow vehicles on the other flank to move," complained Arindam Banerjee, who used the auto route each day to take the metro from Tollygunge. This, Banerjee pointed out, entailed longer waits both at Chowrasta and Tollygunge, especially post evening. Over 200 autos now ply on this alignment.
Shivaji Dasgupta, a resident of Sakherbazar, pointed out the dust on the road too. "We need to cover our faces while travelling on this stretch. Even then, one feels uncomfortable," he said. Sanju Das, an auto driver, complained of frequent breakdowns of his vehicle.
According to cops and KMC, the laying of the sewerage pipeline will take place at four locations along ML Gupta Road: At the junction of Bhuban Mohan Roy Road, At the junction of Sodepur First Lane and Sodepur Brickfield Road, At the junction of Hemchandra Mukherjee Road, and at the junction of Kalipada Mukherjee Road near Nilkanta Marriage Hall.
A number of bus routes and auto routes traverse this road, besides it acting as a commercial hub. The closure of bus routes, including the popular S-31 (which now plies through Raja Rammohan Roy Road), the police stated, meant people waited for autos that were inadequate to cater to the pressure. "With the road now shut, buses like S-31, AC-31, 21, and the Sarada Park-Anandapur minibus, intending to reach Sakherbazar crossing on Diamond Harbour Road from Muchipara crossing, are using Raja Ram Mohan Roy Road," said an officer.
According to a KMC source, KEIIP bosses were asked to wrap up the drainage upgrade project before monsoon so that the residents got the desired results of the much-touted project that ran into rough weather several times.