Vehicles moved more or less smoothly on VIP Road and fliers could reach the airport well in time on Saptami as there were no major snarls till the evening.
This despite the fact that a steady stream of visitors descended on Sreebhumi Sporting Club, one of the biggest crowd-puller pujas in the city, since the morning and the turnout swelled by the minute as the evening wore on.
Officers at the Bidhannagar commissionerate said they have taken several steps to keep traffic smooth on VIP Road, including deploying additional personnel and officers with years of experience in managing the Sreebhumi puja crowd.
Cops — equipped with loudhailers, whistles and lathis — were posted every 20ft on the approach to the Sreebhumi Sporting Club’s pandal, between the Dakshindari bus stop and the Lake Town crossing.
The cops not only shooed away vehicles that slowed down on VIP Road near the pandal but ensured that pedestrians at no point could jaywalk.
Officers experienced in handling Sreebhumi crowds were put in charge of crucial points on the stretch, including the Sreebhumi bus stop, the Lake Town and Bangur Avenue intersections and the base of the Durgapur bridge that connects VIP Road with the Ultadanga station.
Bidhannagar police commissioner Gaurav Sharma said better coordination with Kolkata police and the Barrackpore commissionerate were helping them keep traffic moving on VIP Road.
“Apart from that, we have put in place a traffic plan after studying the pattern of vehicle movement from Mahalaya. That plan is being tweaked as and when required. Our sole objective is to ensure smooth movement of vehicles on this artery,” said Sharma.
A channel has been created on the Ultadanga-bound flank of VIP Road with guardrails for vehicles plying towards the airport.
Many headed towards the airport and adjoining areas such as Chinar Park and Kaikhali through VIP Road on Saturday said they were surprised to see the busy artery almost snarl-free.
On the VIP Road stretch along the Sreebhumi puja, cars on the airport-bound flank were only allowed to stop at the designated drop-off point near the Lake Town clock tower intersection. Ditto for the vehicles on the other flank.
Once pandal-hoppers are getting off, cars are being directed towards the service road for parking.
As on the past few days, buses that ply through VIP Road were either diverted through Jessore Road or made to ply only through the service roads.
Buses that travel from Ultadanga towards the airport were diverted through Jessore Road and those plying between EM Bypass and the airport were made to ply only through the service roads.
Autorickshaws, too, were only allowed on the service roads.