Iron girders stick out on Bankim Setu in Howrah. Picture by Sanat Kumar Sinha

The link between north and south Howrah has turned into a hurdle for motorists and pedestrians.

Bankim Setu, which extends over railway tracks from the Howrah general post office to the fish market, has been riddled with potholes for months. Iron girders jut out from under the asphalt, endangering vehicles and pedestrians.

Mishaps are common on the bridge. In September last year, the driver of a school bus lost control on an approach to the bridge and hit the railing around the district magistrate’s office.

The risk is heightened on Tuesdays, when the weekly Mangalar Haat attracts hordes of shoppers. One of the footpaths and a part of the bridge are occupied by hawkers, forcing pedestrians to walk on the carriageway.

At least 20,000 people use the bridge daily to reach the treasury, district magistrate’s office, Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC), court and the district hospital, traffic police sources said.

Thousands of students cross the bridge, too, on their way to educational institutions like St Thomas School, Howrah Zilla School and Bijoy Krishna Girls’ College.

Subhasish Roy, a high court advocate who visits Howrah court regularly, said: “The surface is so rough that my driver struggles to control the car. The condition of the bridge has worsened for a year and half, but no attempt has been made to repair it.”

Mayor Gopal Mukherjee admitted that the bridge was in poor shape. “It is up to the CMDA to repair the bridge and its approach roads. We do not have funds.”

Samarendra Koley, the secretary of the Howrah Improvement Trust, said: “We constructed the approach roads to the bridge but the structure itself was built by Eastern Railway. We have handed over the approach roads to the HMC, which is responsible for their maintenance. The railways is responsible for repairing the bridge.”

The chairman of the trust, Swadesh Chakraborty, had urged state urban development minister Ashok Bhattacharya to initiate repairs. A CMDA team inspected the bridge last November and estimated that repairs would cost about Rs 5 crore.

Swapan Majumdar, the additional chief engineer (traffic and transportation) of the CMDA, said: “The estimate has been forwarded to the urban development ministry for administrative approval and financial sanction.”