Kolkata Traffic Police uploaded a notification on Twitter on December 30, Saturday, regarding the traffic restrictions in place during the Kalpataru Utsav on January 1, 2023, at Dakhineswar and Cossipore (Udyanbati). Kalpataru Utsav is celebrated on January 1 every year. On this day, Sri Ramakrishna’s followers believe that he had revealed himself to his devotees as a divine being. Locations like Dakshineswar and Ramakrishna Mission Maths across the country, register a massive footfall of devotees on this special day. Ramakrishna Math at Cossipore (Udyanbati) was closed in 2021 because of the COVID pandemic.
Here is what Kolkatans need to know about the traffic restrictions:
- No goods vehicles will be allowed to move north along B.T. Road and Cossipore Road from 4am to 10pm on January 1, 2023. Vidya Sagar Setu will be the alternative route.
- No goods vehicles will be allowed to move north from the following road intersections from 4am to 10pm on January 1, 2023:
- Rabindra Sarani and K.K. Tagore Street crossing
- Vivekananda Road and Chittaranjan Avenue crossing
- Grey Street and B K Paul Avenue crossing
- Maniktala crossing
- Rabindra Sarani and B.K. Paul Avenue crossing
- Grey Street and Raja Dinendra Street crossing
- Gallif Street and Bidhan Sarani crossing
- Beliaghata Road and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road crossing
- Strand Road and K.K. Tagore Street crossing
- B.T. Road and Raja Manindra Road crossing
- B.T. Road and Dum Dum Road crossing
- B.T. Road and Kashinath Dutta Road crossing
- Cossipore Road and Khagen Chatterjee Road crossing
- Khirod Bidya Binod Avenue and Galiff Street crossing
- Chittaranjan Avenue & New CIT Road crossing
- Vivekananda Road and Raja Dinendra Street
- Chittaranjan Avenue and Mahatma Gandhi Road crossing
- Road and Rabindra Sarani crossing
- Exceptions will be granted for:
- Emergency vehicles like LPG, petroleum, oil, lubricants, oxygen, milk, vegetable and fruits carrying goods vehicles, etc.
- Goods vehicles having gross vehicle weight not exceeding 1600 kg (Ex. TATA ACE, Mahindra Jeeto, Suzuki Super Carry, etc.) shall be allowed to ply from 4pm onwards on January 1, 2023
- Goods vehicles may also be diverted from any of the arterial roads by the traffic police on duty as and when considered necessary to prevent them moving north along BT Road and Cossipore Road on January 1, 2023
- No vehicles will be allowed to move along Cossipore Road between Khagen Chatterjee Road crossing and Gopal Chatterjee Road crossing from 4am to 4pm on January 1, 2023. Exceptions will be granted to property line vehicles and vehicles with stickers of Udyanbati
- Vehicular traffic may also be diverted from any of the arterial and feeder roads by traffic police on duty as and when considered necessary in the interest of the public on the day
Useful Metro corridor
People can also take the Metro Rail route between New Garia and Dakshineswar. Covering a distance of 32.25km, there are 26 stations between Noapara and New Garia depots. It is a very useful route which touches Kalighat, Maidan, Park Street and Esplanade among others. The 7am to 9.30pm timetable for the Kavi Subhash-Dakshineswar corridor was planned meticulously to accommodate different train frequencies between Dum Dum and Kavi Subhash, the main stretch of the Metro services in this sector. Considering there are eight trains from Dum Dum to Kavi Subhash stations between 8am and 9am, four from Dakshineswar Temple to Kavi Subhash will ply during the same time period. Commuters, however, must take note of the train timings.