Many roads in Salt Lake are dimly lit and crater-ridden, making them dangerous for pedestrians and motorists.

Residents as well as those who have their workplaces in Salt Lake allege there have been no major repairs for several months.

Residents and office-goers said they avoid certain roads in the township after sundown because of dysfunctional street lights along them.

Soumyashree Chowdhury, a resident of IA Block, said she avoids walking down the road leading to the Bancharam’s sweet shop, near Anindita Island, from the IA market as it turns extremely dark after sundown.

“I drive my car even for small chores as the road turns dangerous for pedestrians at night. The crater-filled roads get dark after sunset as the street lights produce inadequate illumination. There is always the danger of falling into a crater if one walks down the road at night,” Chowdhury said.

The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) did undertake patchwork repairs on some key stretches before Durga Puja but potholes reappeared after the recent spate of rain.

The Telegraph drove around all three sectors of Salt Lake and found several key arteries as well as roads inside residential blocks peppered with craters.

Adding to the woes, many stretches are poorly lit or the lights along them are defunct.

Those entering Salt Lake from EM Bypass are greeted with deep craters at the Kadapara intersection, near Hyatt Regency.

Both flanks of Salt Lake Stadium Road at the crossing have potholes of various dimensions, some as wide as a flank.

The intersection is one of the key points through which one enters or exits Salt Lake from EM Bypass. The other entry-exit routes are the Chingrighata flyover and the Building More crossing near the SAI Complex.

Several stretches of Broadway, which cuts through Salt Lake and connects it with the Bypass, have subsided.

Craters have also appeared on the Seventh Cross Road, which leads to AK Block from the Karunamoyee crossing. Motorists often have no option but to apply the brakes at the last moment to steer clear of the craters. The stretch becomes dangerous at night as most street lights don’t function.

The situation is similar near the animal resources development department building in LB Block.

An engineer in the BMC’s road repairs department said the affected roads need to be scraped off and laid afresh.

“If the roads are not scraped off to make room for a new layer of asphalt over a firm foundation, the surface will keep breaking every few weeks,” the official said.

This newspaper has reported on multiple occasions about the sorry state of the township’s roads.

An engineer in the parks and lighting department of the BMC said: “We are in the process of replacing the defunct street lights. We have recently allotted 20 new street lights for every ward in Salt Lake. Installation will start in a couple of months.”

BMC mayor Krishna Chakraborty said patchwork repair of roads and repair of street lights are underway.

“We are trying to repair the broken roads. But rain is hampering the work. Street lights are also being repaired but it will take some time to restore them,” Chakraborty said.