The stretches of VIP Road which were under waist-deep water on Saturday following spells of downpour are filled with potholes. Though the water has receded, the potholes slowed traffic on Sunday.
The state public works department (PWD), which maintains the road that connects the city to the airport, said the water had destroyed the bituminous surface, leading to the formation of potholes and craters.
PWD officials said the drainage system under VIP Road has been partially damaged because of the construction of the New Garia-airport Metro corridor and that led to the waterlogging.
A state government engineer, aware of the problems of VIP Road, said the silt-filled Bagjola canal is also to be blamed for the waterlogging. Rainwater that accumulates on the thoroughfare drains out into the Bagjola canal.
Calls and a text message from this newspaper to Amit Roy, the executive director of RVNL, the implementing agency of the New Garia-airport Metro corridor, went unanswered.
Metro spokesperson Kausik Mitra denied that construction work for the corridor had contributed to waterlogging. “When a contract is awarded, there are clear norms for disposal of construction waste,” he said.
State government sources said the drainage system under VIP Road is not equipped to carry the large volume of water that accumulates after a spell of heavy rain.
“The state irrigation department had dredged Bagjola canal a year ago, but there are many stretches along the canal that have been encroached on. Houses have come up along the banks. Dredging was done properly on stretches without any encroachment,” said the engineer.
“The canal was filled to the brim over the last few days because of rain. If the canal is filled to capacity, where will the rainwater accumulating on VIP Road go? That was one reason why we witnessed so much waterlogging.”
Waterlogging on a road leads to disintegration of its bituminous surface and formation of potholes. “Water is the biggest enemy of bitumen. The road is bound to develop craters if it remains waterlogged for long, which is what happened on VIP Road on Saturday,” said another state government engineer.
Commuters said they found multiple potholes on the stretch between the Haldiram’s outlet and the airport gate No. 1 on Sunday. There was also a layer of loose stone chips on the stretch that made the surface risky.
“An 850m-long stretch between the Teghoria crossing and the Haldiram’s intersection lies battered,” said a New Town resident, who crossed the stretch on a two-wheeler on Sunday.
Vehicles rocked dangerously and two-wheelers were seen jumping the moment their wheels hit potholes.
State government engineers said the rainwater that accumulates on the airport premises flows out on VIP Road.
“During heavy rain, VIP Road received a huge volume of rainwater. Add to this, the water that comes from the airport. We need to increase the capacity of the drainage system to handle this volume of water,” said a PWD official.
“A survey has been done and a feasibility study on increasing the drainage capacity of VIP Road is under way.”
The PWD official said VIP Road is among the thoroughfares that are accorded “top-priority” by the department. “We will repair the surface as soon as we get a dry phase,” said the official.
An official said the condition of the stretch of VIP Road between Ultadanga and the Haldiram’s outlet is good. “The problem is on the stretch between Haldiram’s and the airport gate No. 1,” he said.
