Cop focus on auto parking to stop Ultadanga crossing snarls
Times of India | 4 February 2026
Kolkata: Hours after the Lalbazar top brass hit the road on Monday night, led by CP Supratim Sarkar, followed by inspections by additional CP Santosh Pandey on Monday morning, some consensus finally emerged at Ultadanga crossing on how autos should park at the busy crossing, which was otherwise hampering the movement of vehicles.
The police top brass was long trying to decongest the area, with operators finally in line on Tuesday. "The decision is that, from now on, all those parking closer to the Bidhannagar station, which is narrower, will have to park in a single line, with all parking essentially parallel to the kerb. Perpendicular parking will not be allowed. Only those parking near the Hudco crossing will see double-lane parking for a short stretch," said an officer, adding that such periodic drives will increase in the near future.
Autos found picking up passengers closer to the crossing will be fined. "We fined around nine autos in a short span of one hour on Tuesday," said an officer from the Ultadanga Traffic Guard.
Senior officers at Lalbazar asked their men to act tough and ensure that all traffic rules were strictly followed by the operators of the three-wheelers that act as a lifeline to Salt Lake and Lake Town, stating that tackling auto parking was important to decongest the crossing.
Under the fresh plans agreed upon by both cops and auto operators, autos from Baguiati, the airport and Lake Town will move parallel to the existing NBSTC Depot before entering it, a plan that was in existence for long but witnessed violations in recent times.
The cops earmarked guardrails inside the depot that will enable the autos to take a U-turn and come back to the main gate. Once the signal turns green here (a signal is already set up for the entry and exit of buses), they turn right towards Ultadanga.
The auto unions resisted changes for a considerable time, complaining about the problems if parking was not allowed closer to the railway station. On Tuesday, though, auto operators said they so far found the circulation to be smooth. "There is still some resentment, but we do think our points have been appreciated by senior policemen," said Jayanta Das, one such operator.
Additional CP Pandey visited Ultadanga crossing to take stock of important crossings in the city. The top brass instructed all guards, including Ultadanga Traffic Guard, to ensure maximum cop presence during office hours. There are some proposals to smoothen the flow of traffic from Park Circus to Ultadanga too.