The 4-km stretch from the Ruby rotary to Bijon Setu has become more of a motocross track than an extension of the fast-transit EM Bypass. The craters are large and the bitumen-less patches wide enough to test the sturdiest of vehicles and the best of drivers. Shoddy policing along the entire stretch means almost every rule of the road can be flouted. Goods carriages are parked on the road and pedestrians vie with vehicles for space on the carriageway because the pavements meant for them have been encroached upon by someone else. Metro takes stock of the chaos.

Craters and car crawl

Whatever remains of the bitumen topping in some parts of the Ruby-Bijon Setu connector is loose and could disappear by the time monsoon is over. Motorists need to be most alert when crossing a 50-metre stretch at Bosepukur that has craters every few metres. They not only slow down traffic to a crawl, but also cause accidents.

“There is tremendous vehicular pressure on this road, especially during peak hours. But the condition of either lane is pathetic,” said a traffic policeman manning the signal kiosk at the Bosepukur intersection.

Garbage vats and goods vehicles parked on the southbound flank, near Kasba post office, have reduced the width of the road. It doesn’t help that Kasba police station is just a stone’s throw from there.

“Several projects, including hotels, offices and a cricket stadium, have been planned around Ruby. I shudder to think how slow this route will become in future,” said Mainak Gupta, a resident of Chakrabortypara.

Accidents occur at Bosepukur almost every day. “The craters force motorists to brake suddenly, leading to frequent bumper-to-bumper collisions,” said Tapan Mullick, the owner of a roadside eatery near the intersection.

Autorickshaw driver Ganesh Singh, who operates on the Ruby-Jadavpur police station route, said he was lucky not to have been involved in an accident so far. “On an average, two autorickshaws overturn at Bosepukur every day. It gets worse when it rains and I fear it could be me next time.”

Walkers’ woes

The pavements have space for everything but pedestrians. Construction material, cycle rickshaws, garbage, car repair shops, settlers and parked vehicles have made the pavements out of bounds for walkers.

“Roadside eateries place chairs on the pavement for customers to sit and savour food while pedestrians walk on the road. Those parts of the pavement that have not been taken over illegally are damaged and unfit for use,” said Pankaj Sharma, a senior citizen.

Faded or non-existent stop lines and pedestrian crossings make going across the road a dangerous proposition.

What police say

A senior official of the Southeastern Traffic Guard identified four patches along the stretch, including Bosepukur and Siemens, as “particularly risky” for motorists. “We sometimes remove commercial vehicles parked on the road but the unions and political leaders jump to their rescue. “The stop lines and zebra crossings will receive a fresh coat of paint before Puja.”

CMDA’s version

You have to wait till Puja, both for your festival gift and a better road. The CMDA, which maintains the major portion of the stretch from Ruby to the Kasba post office, intends to start repairs next month. “There is a scarcity of bitumen, which is why we haven’t repaired the EM Bypass as well. But we will finish repairs before Puja,” said Ananda Ganguly, the chief engineer (traffic and transportation) of the CMDA.

“Water weakens bitumen and problems will persist on this stretch until drainage is improved and dumping of garbage stopped,” he added.

— Rith Basu