The flyover at night. Picture by Aranya Sen

Stung by power theft, CESC is making commuters crossing the Kidderpore flyover after dusk pay the price for someone else’s fault.

The entire stretch of Karl Marx Sarani, leading to Calcutta Port, plunged into darkness 10 days ago with CESC deciding to disconnect power supply to the area. Executive director Santanu Chatterjee, who heads the loss control cell, said rampant power theft left the company with no option but to take this step.

“What can we do if residents indulge in hooking? We have disconnected electric supply to some areas with the police’s help.”

Vehicle headlights are now the only source of illumination for the 558-metre flyover, inaugurated by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in October last year. Residents say accidents are waiting to happen.

“This is an accident-prone area, and the blackout has made it worse. Traffic is heavy at night with a stream of loaded goods vehicles heading out of Calcutta Port. If road and the bridge remain dark, I am afraid we will witness a serious accident soon,” Anwar Ali, who lives close to the flyover, said.

The flyover, a pre-fabricated steel structure like the Park Street one, extends from Fancy Market on Garden Reach Circular Road to Vidyasagar Setu. From there, commuters have to choose between Race Course Road and AJC Bose Road.

Goons patronised by political parties are responsible for the high incidence of power theft in Kidderpore. Residents of slums and hundreds of illegally constructed buildings pay them Rs 200-300 each every month for unlimited use of the stolen power, routed through “control rooms” in almost every lane.

“The gang taps power from roadside electric poles and distribution boxes in buildings that have legitimate connections. It is an organised racket,” said Ainul Haque, who owns a shop in Fancy Market.

Another resident, Rajesh Singh, accused the police of looking the other way.

An officer at Watgunge police station said he and his colleagues were aware of hooking and meter tampering in the locality. “We conduct raids on receiving complaints from CESC but the power thieves escape because they are backed by political parties.”

There has been no announcement yet from CESC about when power will be restored. “We understand that people have been inconvenienced but we cannot add to the huge losses already incurred by the company. We disconnected power supply after several reminders,” Chatterjee said.