The Karunamoyee crossing in Salt Lake has become a nightmare for commuters over the past few months. A major part of the roads leading to it is out of bounds because of work on various projects. Parked vehicles and shops take up most of the remaining road space. Add to this faulty traffic management and it is clear why accidents are common at Salt Lake’s busiest intersection, which nearly 7,000 vehicles cross in an hour at peak time. Metro takes a look at the problems that plague the crossing.

Illegal stands

Five auto stands have sprung up at the four-point crossing. Karunamoyee-Ultadanga autos operate from the middle of a road that leads to the intersection, while three-wheelers that ply on the Karunamoyee-SDF, Karunamoyee-College More, Karunamoyee-Beleghata and Karunamoyee-City Centre routes occupy the corners of the four roads.

According to drivers, autos of all five routes used to take up the corners of only two of the roads but problems between the CPM and the Trinamul Congress unions led to the creation of separate stands.

“Autorickshaws are the primary reason behind the chaos at the crossing. The autos now block all sides of the road and pick up passengers from wherever they want to. They force us to get off and get on from the middle of the road sometimes. It is very risky,” said Kuhelee Chakraborty, a Sector V techie who lives in Baranagar.

Blocked channels

The middle of the road connecting City Centre and Sector V has been fenced off for East-West Metro work. The narrowed arteries get choked whenever traffic is heavy.

The CMDA is working on sewerage and drainage pipes on the western flank of the road connecting Karunamoyee with Broadway. As a result, both north and south-bound vehicles ply along the eastern flank that has been narrowed by illegal parking and auto stands.

“It takes close to 30 minutes to cross Karunamoyee while coming from Mayukh Bhavan during office time these days. It used to take less than five minutes earlier,” said Saptarshi Gupta, a trader who lives in AD block.

Policing problems

Residents allege that snarls become unmanageable because not more than two constables man traffic even during peak hours.

When Metro visited last week, the traffic signals on all sides of the crossing were not working. Two homeguards stood in the middle of the road trying in vain to make way for vehicles through a sea of autos. A constable watched the action from the traffic control booth though there were no lights to operate.

During office time, auto drivers sometimes manage traffic at the intersection with the cops absent, said regular commuters.

“We do not have enough men to manage traffic at Karunamoyee. Since East-West Metro work is the major reason behind the logjam, we had asked its authorities to deploy volunteers to manage traffic. But their men do not work,” said a traffic officer of Bidhannagar police.

Encroachment hurdle

With illegal shops and eateries blocking footpaths near the crossing, pedestrians are forced to walk down the carriageway, making life difficult for motorists.

Rickshaws wait on the footpaths near Karunamoyee Abasan. Branches of trees chopped for the CMDA work and cable and broadband lines lie across the road and on the median divider near Karunamoyee Abasan, causing problems to motorists and pedestrians alike. The absence of street lights makes it difficult to cross the stretch at night.

“Last week, a girl stumbled on one of the cables and fell in front of a car. She was not hit because the driver was alert. Such accidents have become very common in the area,” said Palash Mullick, who lives nearby.

Official version

“With the East-West Metro project on, it is difficult for us to manage traffic and also remove the illegal shops and vehicle stands. The electrical connections of the traffic signals had got disconnected when the roads were dug up. Everything will be in place once the East-West Metro work is completed,” said Debabrata Das, an additional superintendent of police.

“It is the duty of the police to conduct raids and free the township of illegal vehicle stands and shops. The cops have failed to deal with the traffic chaos in Salt Lake,” said Sabyasachi Dutta, the vice-chairperson of Bidhannagar Municipality.

“Our employees man traffic 24x7 along the stretch. We regularly take the suggestion of police officers on matters related to traffic. We have cleared a major part of the crossing and will clear the rest of the roads as the work progress,” said a senior East-West Metro official.