Calcutta, April 21 :    Calcutta, April 21:  The government has taken up a Rs 15-crore project to widen and develop a six-km stretch of the arterial Jessore Road, between Patipukur, near Lake Town, and the city airport. At a meeting held by Public Works Department (PWD) officials with the authorities of Dum Dum and South Dum Dum municipalities and the police last week, it was decided that work will begin in June and end by February 2004. Jessore Road connects north Calcutta and its suburbs with the airport and fast-developing pockets like Barasat and Madhyamgram. The road leads to Jessore, and trucks carrying merchandise to Bangladesh travel by this road. The authorities of the two municipalities and additional superintendent of police (Barasat) Rahul Srivastav were consulted about the demolition of 200-odd makeshift structures. They assured the PWD officers of all help during the drive to evict squatters. The PWD has also asked the CESC and the Calcutta Telephones authorities to shift several poles coming in the way. Executive engineer of PWD Gautam Dasgupta said Jessore Road was very congested along this six-km stretch, and the present nine-metre-wide road will be turned into a four-lane, 15-metre road, with one-and-half metre sidewalks on either side. Over the past two decades, the road had become particularly congested, with rapid urbanisation of Lake Town, Kalindi, Bangur Avenue, Dum Dum Park, Shyamnagar and Nagerbazar. Forest department representatives, too, were present at the meeting. 'About 150 trees will be felled, but arrangements will be made to replace them,' said a PWD officer. 'Police will help us remove encroachments,' said Srihir Bhattacharya, chairman of South Dum Dum municipality. The authorities are worried about the major traffic diversions that will be needed while work is in progress. The massive flow of vehicles along Jessore Road will have to be regulated and diverted through Kalyani Expressway and B.T. Road. Trucks may be allowed to ply on VIP Road after 10 pm, said an officer. Jessore Road may become one-way and buses can be diverted through Dum Dum Road. A large number of encroachments will have to be removed from Dum Dum Road.