From uneven roads to sagging cable wires to pavements lost to encroachment, a recent gathering held at the National Mime Institute in CK Block saw residents express concern over the steady deterioration of infrastructure.
A citizens’ meet had been organised by the Association of Bidhannagar Citizens (ABC) to offer residents a platform to come together to highlight a series of persistent neighbourhood problems that hamper their day-to-day life and continue to remain unsolved despite several complaints.
Soma Talukdar of EE Block complained about the sagging of the overhead cable wires and how such a huge number of wires have damaged the electric pole beside her house. “The electric pole next to my house has a pile of wires hanging around it which has caused the pole to tilt under its own weight. I stay on the ground floor and the pole is next to my window. I am worried that some accident may take place any day,” she said. Another resident added that the sagging wires were prone to cause accidents as they often snap and hang on the roads with open ends.
While many shared issues about uneven footpaths and cars being parked on both sides of the road, making it extremely difficult for people to walk, Debashis Mukherjee of BF Block complained about how at many places, footpaths were not available as shops had encroached the space. “Footpaths are meant for walking but at some places they have opened full-fledged shops on them. Mini eateries have taken up half of the carriageway by setting out chairs and tables for customers. It has become extremely difficult to navigate them and walk. Also late-night events with ear-blasting music should be kept in check as it causes difficulties for many residents, especially those who stay close by,” he said.
One of the biggest issues in the township right now is poor traffic discipline, felt Rajdeep Dutta of CE Block. “Vehicles, especially autos and rickshaws, often speed or ignore basic rules, putting pedestrians at risk. On top of that, we hardly have proper zebra crossings with clear markings, making road-crossing unsafe for the elderly and children. If traffic is regulated more strictly and proper pedestrian crossings are created and maintained, overall safety in Bidhannagar will improve immediately,” he said.
Other residents mentioned issues like lack of public bus connectivity in Salt Lake, preventing direct communication with different areas in Calcutta. Unhygienic market areas and poor streetlight illumination were the other grievances that came up.
“In this forum, we have people from different backgrounds coming together to look for solutions that would help solve neighbourhood issues and improve our life. When Salt Lake was formed, the lifestyles of people and the surroundings were different and, with time, many things need to be altered and, as residents, it is our duty to see what we can do to make the township better,” said Tarpan Saha, member of ABC and the acting president of the meeting.