A 50-year-old man died after coming under the wheels of a tram at Behala Chowrasta last week. Local residents blamed Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) for poorly maintained tracks and the tram authorities blamed cops for shoddy traffic management on the stretch.

“The man accidentally rolled over the tracks and was hit by the tram. We did not initiate a case against the tram driver as it is illegal to walk or sleep on the tracks, which are protected zones,” said Sunil Kumar Chowdhury, the additional superintendent (industrial) of South 24-Parganas police.

Metro visited the 6km track between the Behala tram depot and Joka to identify the problem points.

Lack of maintenance: Tram drivers on the route say this stretch sees little maintenance and no repairs.

“We have been sidelined. Tram tracks in other parts of the city have been concretised, but even minor maintenance work is not carried out on our route. The tracks and tram cables need immediate repairs. The old trams and ill-maintained tracks make it difficult to apply the vacuum brakes quickly,” said a 55-year-old tram driver.

Encroachment: A number of pedestrians, cyclists and bikers were seen crossing the tracks. Some were even riding along the tracks to avoid traffic jams on the road, especially near the Behala tram depot, and in Manton, Chowrasta and Thakurpukur areas. Two-wheelers were parked beside the tracks at some spots.

The sides and middle of the tracks were dotted with hoardings and clothes, cow dung cakes and coconut fibres left to dry.

“People move freely along the tracks and pay no heed to approaching trams. Homeless people sleep on the tracks and even defecate there,” said a driver at Behala tram depot.

Poor lighting: The driver at the depot said one of the reasons the tram driver could not spot the man lying on the track was because the tracks were poorly lit. “The driver could not see the person as there are hardly any lights. Also, tall grass and an electric pole blocked his line of vision.”

Residents echoed the drivers on lack of street lights. “The trams run with just a 100W bulb in the name of headlights and the street lights do not function near Chowrasta,” said Ramesh Dhali, who owns a musical instrument shop nearby.

Inadequate policing: Local residents and the tramway authorities blamed the police for failing to man traffic along the tracks properly.

“The cops do nothing to stop people from walk on the tracks. Erecting median dividers can easily solve the problem but the police take no initiative,” said a senior CTC official.

The cops, as always, cited lack of manpower for the lack of policing on the stretch.