The December 17 report on the 23-hour traffic snarl on NH34

Calcutta, Dec. 20: Calcutta High Court today directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to file a report in three weeks on the progress of repairs on NH34, particularly the 350km stretch from Barasat to Malda.

On Monday, trucks had broken down at six points on the potholed NH34 stretch between Raiganj and Dalkhola in North Dinajpur, causing a 48km traffic pile-up that took almost a day to ease.

A division bench of Chief Justice A.K. Mishra and Justice Jaymalya Bagchi gave the order on a PIL filed by advocate Anjan Bhattacharya on the appalling condition of the highway. The court said it would monitor the progress of repairs.

The division bench had directed the NHAI on December 17 to start repairing the Barasat-Dalkhola NH34 immediately.

Today, the NHAI lawyer told the court that the general manager of the highway authority’s transport division had told the project manager in Nadia’s Krishnagar to start the repairs.

“The condition of the road is horrible. Trucks, buses and other vehicle are the worst sufferers. As a large number of schools and other academic institutions are situated along the highway, thousands of students are at risk. Major accidents can take place any time,” the petition said.