Several stretches of roads in Salt Lake roads plunge into darkness after dusk because of non-working streetlights.
The Telegraph drove through all three sectors of the township and found several arteries in darkness.
Several main roads, including Canalside Road of the Eastern drainage canal that connects the township with EM Bypass at the Chingrighata crossing, have few functional lights forcing motorists to rely on their headlights alone.
Commuters who drive into Salt Lake from EM Bypass through the concrete road beside the Jal Vayu Vihar housing complex, near the Chingrighata crossing, move into a dark zone that starts from the Mahavir Vikas Housing Complex and the Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2 School opposite Nicco Park.
To make matters worse this road has several manholes that have their edges broken off resulting in deep and sharp craters.
Kestopur Canalside Road too has several unlit stretches near AD and SA blocks.
The crater-filled road leading towards the Anindita island from tank No. 13 in IB Block does not have a single light that works.
Several residents this newspaper spoke to said they think twice before driving or riding at night as they fear for their safety.
“During winter, roads should be well-lit as there are chances of fog. As it is the roads are in terrible condition and now even the street lights have stopped working on several main roads,” said Shovik Gupta Bhaya, a resident of AE Block.
The 46th edition of the International Kolkata Book Fair started on January 31. Thousands of visitors will to drive down to Central Park ground from across the city as well as its outskirts during the fair.
An official of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation’s lighting department said that despite dysfunctional street lights there has been no call for an e-tender by the corporation to carry out repairs.
“We had carried out a survey to identify defunct street lights but little has been done after that,” the source said.
A senior police officer of the Bidhannagar commissionerate said well-illuminated roads and streets act as a deterrent to miscreants.
According to data provided by the commissionerate, it has been generally observed that incidents of thefts and snatching generally go up particularly during early morning and night as do cases of eve-teasing and molestation.
