BEWARE OF POTHOLES

Calcutta: Stretches of EM Bypass are riddled with potholes, which throw traffic haywire during the rush hours.

Among the worst-hit are the stretches near the Ruby and the Avishikta crossings and below a New Garia-Airport Metro station that is being constructed in front of Metro Cash and Carry.

Metro drove down the Bypass on Saturday and here's what it saw

Ruby crossing

A 200m stretch extending from the crossing towards Science City, on the Garia-bound flank, is perhaps the worst affected. Potholes large and small stretch across the flank.

"It is difficult to drive down the stretch," said a man who crosses the stretch frequently.

The crossing itself is in a mess. Vehicles coming from the direction of Ballygunge and turning right towards Avishikta have to negotiate a battered stretch. The craters were filled with brick pieces, which got washed away by rain.

Avishikta crossing

A police officer said the pothole-riddled stretch on the Garia-bound flank leading to the Avishikta crossing had made traffic management difficult. "Cars, buses and two-wheelers move at a snail's pace while approaching the crossing and turning right to the Anwar Shah Road connector. As a result, long snarls are common on the stretch," the officer said.

The average speed of vehicles on the stretch is just 5kmph, he said.

On reaching the crossing, another set of potholes greets motorists, especially the ones bound for Jadavpur.

Singhabari crossing

A few potholes in the middle of an otherwise smooth stretch on the Ultadanga-bound flank, between Metro Cash and Carry and the Singhabari crossing, pose a greater threat to motorists than craters on other stretches.

"We drive slowly and exercise extra caution on a broken stretch. But when we are suddenly confronted with a pothole on a comparatively smooth stretch, we either slam the brakes or swerve. That increases chances of accident," a woman who regularly drives down the stretch said.

Two-wheeler-riders face even a greater danger. "If a wheel of a motorcycle moving at a high speed falls into a crater, the driver will definitely lose control. We have seen many such accidents on Calcutta's roads," said the woman.

Under Metro station

The 100m stretch on the Garia-bound flank in front of Metro Cash and Carry, below the under-construction station of New Garia-Airport Metro, is another difficult stretch to cross. The top layer has worn off and stone chips have been exposed. Besides, potholes have taken up almost the entire width of the road.

Police officers said the stretch gets waterlogged after every spell of intense rain.

Officialspeak

The Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) is the custodian of EM Bypass. A CMDA engineer said they were undertaking repairs.

"There is no let-up in rain. As and when we are getting dry weather, we are carrying out repairs. We are even working at night," he said.

The engineer said they had placed concrete blocks to level the road near the Ruby crossing. "Construction of the New Garia-Airport Metro link has blocked drainage channel along the Bypass. This is causing waterlogging. Water is the biggest enemy of bitumen. So, whenever there is waterlogging, the road will be damaged," the engineer said.