Snarls on VIP Road triggered by the mammoth turnout at the Sreebhumi puja and the apprehension that it might spill over to New Town, an alternative way to the airport, has triggered such fear across the city that many fliers are leaving home several hours in advance to avoid missing flights.
Behala resident Bhaskar Bhattacharya will go on a holiday to Thailand and his flight is scheduled to leave at the intervening midnight between Sunday (Ashtami) and Monday (Navami).
“Usually, it takes one-and-a-half hours to reach the airport from my place. But because of snarls on VIP Road, I am not sure how much time it will actually take,” said Bhattacharya, who is going on vacation with his wife and son.
“Our flight will leave at midnight. We have decided to leave home at 5pm on Ashtami. If we reach early, we will spend time sipping coffee at the airport,” said Bhattacharya.
“We usually go on vacation just before the Puja, but this year I had some work,” said Bhattacharya, who is a director of a company.
Last Sunday, he was returning from the airport after an official trip and was caught in a snarl on VIP Road.
Garia resident Subhajit Roychowdhury, an IT professional, will catch a flight to Dubai on Sunday, Ashtami. The flight is scheduled to leave at 8.45pm.
“Under normal circumstances, I should not have left home for the airport before 4.30pm. On Sunday, I will leave by 2pm,” said Roychowdhury, who is going on a holiday with friends. “I have heard about the terrible inconvenience airport-bound people are facing on VIP Road.”
The Telegraph has been reporting about how severe snarls on VIP Road are choking traffic and police’s attempts at keeping vehicles moving.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the police to ensure that traffic on VIP Road is not disrupted.
A number of Kolkatans have experienced a change for the better over the past couple of days but few want to take a chance, fearing a return of the unmanageable chaos the stretch had witnessed.
The Sreebhumi Sporting Club Durga puja pandal witnessed a crowd surge on Thursday, Panchami. Traffic on VIP Road kept swelling by the hour in the evening and the police used loudhailers and whistles to shoo away vehicles that slowed down near the Sreebhumi bus stop.
The airport-bound vehicles were being made to pass through a lane demarcated with traffic cones and guardrails on the Ultadanga-bound flank of the thoroughfare.
Some of the fliers who left home early fearing snarls on VIP Road were surprised to find the journey smoother than they had expected. They reached the airport much before time.
Park Street resident Yogesh Choithramani and his wife and son had a flight to catch at 12.15am on Friday on their way to Phuket. They left home at 7pm.
“We were apprehending a huge snarl on VIP Road and in New Town and so left early. In normal circumstances, we would have left at 9pm,” said the businessman.
“However, to our surprise, the map on the phone was showing a clear VIP Road. We travelled through VIP Road and reached the airport within 45 minutes.”
An official at the airport said they were seeing many passengers arriving much earlier than the departure time of their flights, domestic as well as international.
“This is creating congestion at times but we understand their concerns,” said an official.
A couple of days back, one passenger had called the airport to say he would miss the flight. The passenger, who was to take a domestic flight, was allowed to enter the terminal through a staff entry gate and had the security clearance fast-tracked, the official said.