Police have written to the KMC to arrange for potable water by extending the existing water supply connection from Chaulpatty Road, Canal South Road, CIT Building More and Majher Para to the eastern side of EM Bypass.
The police has made this request so that the residents don’t need to cross the accident-prone Chingrighata intersection on EM Bypass to fetch their daily requirement of drinking water.
In a letter to the municipal commissioner on Friday Arijit Sinha, the deputy commissioner of police overseeing Kolkata’s traffic movement, has spelt out how some residents of Sukanta Nagar, Shanti Nagar and Pathuriaghata under the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation continue to cross the busy EM Bypass at Chingrighata intersection with “water jerry cans” everyday for two hours in the morning beginning 7.30am and another two hours in the afternoon starting 4.30pm. This has led to an increase in the chance of road accidents at the busiest intersection on EM Bypass, the police have said.
“The crossover of residents of the eastern part of EM Bypass to the western part and vice versa for collecting water can be restricted if the water pipeline of the potable water is extended to Majher Para on the western part of EM Bypass to the eastern part...near Chingrighata crossing,” the letter reads. “Once implemented this will help the residents to collect water ... without crossing the EM Bypass....”
Pedestrian movements has been one of key areas of concern for the police managing vehicular movement on EM Bypass around the Chingrighata intersection, which remains one of the most accident-prone spots along the 19-kilometre thoroughfare.
Officers have observed that a majority of the pedestrian movement across the intersection in the peak hours was to collect drinking water.
In February chief minister Mamata Banerjee had inaugurated a foot over bridge near the Jal Vayu Vihar intersection — ahead of Chingrighta intersection — with a view to cut down on pedestrian movement across EM Bypass.
Nearly two months after police officers said the flow of traffic along both the flanks may have eased quite a bit but it has not done away with the pedestrian movement across Chingrighata. “Pedestrian crossover has reduced substantially but persons carrying jerry cans on cycles are apparently finding it difficult to access the foot over bridge,” Sinha told The Telegraph.
Officials from the KMC’s water supply department said they would soon discuss the extension plan with mayor Firhad Hakim.