CHOKED ARTERY: It’s a free-for-all on VIP Road once there is a power cut, because the traffic signals go off, too, and the hand-held signals given to constables are either ignored by motorists or not visible at all. A Telegraph picture

The traffic chaos on the busy Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue (VIP Road) is being further compounded by frequent power cuts, which affect the signals, too.

“Earlier, the supply used to be disrupted once or twice a month. But over the past three months, it has been occurring daily. Now, power goes off even during peak hours, making it difficult for us to manage traffic,” said an officer of the traffic department of the North 24-Parganas police.

“The cops manning the crossings have been given hand-held signals to regulate traffic during power cuts but they are of little help. The hand-held signals, often missed by drivers, cannot be a replacement for mounted signals,” said an officer posted at the Kestopur crossing.

Explaining the traffic-control arrangement, the officer added: “During the rush period, we have to handle around 4,000 vehicles an hour at the Lake Town, Kestopur, Baguiati and airport crossings. Three cops man each signal for eight hours — two manage the traffic and the third regulates the signals.”

It’s a free-for-all whenever power goes off, often resulting in mishaps. In the absence of the signals, vehicles and pedestrians try to use the road at the same time, reducing the cops to mere spectators.

Public works department (PWD) officials, in charge of maintaining the electrical lines of VIP Road, pleaded helplessness in solving the problem. “The main power line feeds the signal posts. The CESC and the state electricity board supply to the main line. Thus, the signals will be affected whenever there is a power snag,” said P. Maity, the PWD engineer supervising the power connections of VIP Road.