This is one stretch of asphalt where accidents have become a way of life — and death. Hardly a month passes by without blood spilling on VIP Road (see chart).

Around 4,000 vehicles ply on this road during peak hours and yet, there are no overbridges at the accident-prone points like Baguiati and Kestopur. Police say they have sent the government two specific proposals in this regard but problems of land acquisition have blocked their implementation. So, vehicular traffic has to be halted every other minute to allow pedestrians to cross.

Besides, VIP Road suddenly narrows into a three-lane carriageway at the chaotic four-point intersection at Kestopur, often prompting buses to veer to the left and jostle for space to be first off the blocks the moment the signal turns green.

There is also an acute shortage of manpower in both Baguaiti and Lake Town Traffic Guard — at least by 16. Hence, VIP Road is manned only between 9am and 10pm. The personnel are not trained in traffic management. Highway patrol jeeps are few and far between.

The core issue on VIP Road, however, remains reckless overtaking by buses.

Yet, Friday’s tragedy might have been avoided had the irrigation department and the Rajarhat municipal authorities cleared the slush left on the Bagjola canal bank after dredging it about a year ago.

Because of the dredging, the depth of water at the site of the mishap increased from 2.5 ft to 6 ft, which led to the bus getting submerged.

“We asked the authorities to do something about the slush, but no steps were taken,” said Paresh Nag, 50, a resident of Baguiati. Mud lies heaped on the canal’s bank over a stretch of 2.5 km along the bank, spilling on the road.

“The irrigation department had cleared the slush and dumped it at New Town Rajarhat. But the residue is still there. Today’s shower has aggravated the situation,” said Subhajit Dasgupta, a local CPM leader.

However, residents of the area allege that the accumulated mud was more than mere residue. It resembled a giant garbage dump for a couple of months, and as the sun baked the mud dry, it became a dust bowl, adding to the foul fumes. Thursday night’s sharp showers and Friday morning’s downpour added to the slush, making surface conditions treacherous.

The irrigation department had taken up desilting of 4.5 km of the canal last August and work was completed before the Puja. It is part of the Bagjola desiltation project, covering 7.5 km for Rs 2.5 crore, department sources said.

The canal connects the Hooghly with the Vidyadhari, covering 16 km. “There was a demand for dredging the canal to start ferry services and improve drainage,” said Subhas Naskar, the state irrigation minister. He, however, denied that slush had accumulated.

Another proposal, if acted upon, could also have saved the day — that of guard walls erected along the canal.