Repair work starts to fix battered roads inside Salt Lake blocks
Times of India | 4 April 2026
Kolkata: Repair work has begun on some of the worst-damaged internal roads across Salt Lake blocks.
On Friday, a nearly 100-metre stretch from the market to the canal-side road in AE Block — long in a dilapidated condition — was resurfaced with a fresh layer of bitumen.
Residents said the repairs were long overdue, noting that only limited patchwork had been carried out before last year's Puja. "The stretch had been in a terrible state for quite some time. There are several other roads within the block that also require comprehensive repairs," said Subir Pramanik, a local resident.
Locals pointed out that multiple stretches are riddled with large craters, posing serious risks. "Some of these craters are accident-prone. Recently, a rickshaw nearly overturned while passing over one near the AE Block playground," said a shopkeeper from the market area.
A civic worker supervising the work said several such stretches would be repaired and upgraded, with some undergoing bituminous asphalt surfacing.
Before the announcement of assembly election dates, the KMDA had floated tenders for repairing and upgrading the most damaged roads in Salt Lake. The authorities had earlier been provided with a list of stretches requiring urgent attention.
In recent months, the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has carried out periodic repairs on several damaged roads, particularly within block interiors, using funds from the Amader Para Amader Samadhan (APAS) scheme.
Road maintenance has remained a major concern in Salt Lake, with many stretches in poor condition for a long time. Last year, the BMC had launched a large-scale repair drive backed by around Rs 25 crore in state funds. While several roads were fixed, potholes and craters soon reappeared in many areas, and several internal stretches were left untouched.
In Feb this year, the state govt announced plans to repair 135 road stretches, covering a total of 54.1 km across the BMC areas of Salt Lake and Rajarhat Gopalpur, under the Pathashree urban scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 55.8 crore. "Repair work is being carried out under the APAS scheme, and more roads will be taken up under the Pathashree urban scheme as well as through councillor funds," a BMC official said.