The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is planning an overhaul of EM Bypass and building drainage lines along the corridor.
Many stretches along the Bypass do not have drainage lines, resulting in waterlogging on the service roads. The road surface is undulated on nearly the entire stretch to the south of the Ruby hospital crossing.
There are no pavements along the service roads between Science City and Dhalai bridge barring small sections near the New Garia-airport Metro stations, though densely populated neighbourhoods have come up on the stretch.
Large stretches of the median dividers remain dirty. Loose soil rises from the dividers when wind blows over them and makes the stretches dusty. The KMC plans to undertake a plantation drive on the dividers to tackle the problem of dust.
At a recent meeting at the KMC headquarters, chaired by mayor Firhad Hakim, multiple departments presented an estimate of what needed to be done and how much funds may be required.
Hakim said on Sunday he wanted conduits to be built under the service roads for utility lines so that EM Bypass or the service roads are not dug up for every repair.
"There are many undulations on the Bypass now. Our target is to iron out these undulations and make the road surface flat and even," Hakim told The Telegraph.
"We are also planning to build drainage lines where they are absent. Besides, we will build conduits under the service roads so that utility lines are shifted to these conduits."
Officials of the KMC said maintenance and upgrade of the road would cost over Rs 100 crore. The plantation drive will require about Rs 7 crore, which will include the cost of the annual maintenance of the trees.
More funds will be required for building and maintaining pavements and laying drainage lines.
Hakim did not comment on the total estimate but added that the KMC would approach the state government for funds. "Once the total requirement is estimated, we will approach the state government for funding," the mayor said.
The 16km-long EM Bypass, which runs between Ultadanga in north and Dhalai bridge, Patuli in south, was maintained by of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) till last year. The KMC took over the custody in November 2022.
The KMDA still has the custody of the flyovers over the Bypass — the Baghajatin railway overbridge, Chingrighata flyover and the Kestopur flyover.
KMC officials said the discussions are still in a preliminary stage and the scope of work may increase.
Like many other roads across the city, undulated surface is common on the Bypass, too. KMC officials said the surface between Ultadanga and the Ruby crossing have been made even, but work on the remaining stretch is incomplete.
"The stretch between Ruby and Dhalai bridge is in worse condition. Making the road flat on this large stretch will take time," an official said.
