Touted as the fastest link between south Calcutta and EM Bypass, the 3.5-km Prince Anwar Shah Road connector has turned out to be anything but a smooth passage for commuters since its inauguration on March 1 last year. Construction defects and shoddy policing have turned the connector into another chaos corridor in a city that already has several of these. Metro gives the lowdown.

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Policing

The connector has only one traffic light, at the Jadavpur police station crossing. The crossings at Sapuipara and near Kalikapur, on the Bypass, are manned by two policemen who do little to control unruly motorists and pedestrians. Residents say these two crossings and the 11 lanes on either side of the stretch are the cause of most accidents and traffic snarls on the connector.

“While driving from Ruby Hospital to my highrise near Kalikapur, it becomes very difficult to cross the junction, take the left lane and take a U-turn to enter the estate. The lone policeman supposed to man this junction is absent for most of the day,” said Gokul Nanda, a resident of Greenwood Nook on the Bypass. “On more than one occasion, I have had a close shave while crossing the junction on foot.”

The sergeant on duty blamed the increase in traffic for the chaos. “Vehicles that previously took the Santoshpur and Kasba connectors are now using this thoroughfare. Also, the stretch is so curvy near the Jadavpur police station that it is hard to assess the number of vehicles on the road at a time. Snarls are regular.”

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Volume of traffic

At least 80 autorickshaws, over 75 buses on eight routes and hundreds of private vehicles ply on this thoroughfare. Trucks, school buses, call centre pool cars, cycle rickshaws and bicycles use the road, too. Vehicles coming in and out of South City Mall, located near the connector, add to the volume of traffic.

According to the transport department, around 2,000 vehicles cross the stretch every hour on a normal day. “But the road cannot accommodate more than 1,500 vehicles per hour,” said A.K. Das, executive engineer of traffic and transport.

The three autorickshaw stands at either end of the connector and the Sapuipara crossing aggravate the congestion. “I am used to getting stuck at the Jadavpur police station end for more than 20 minutes whenever I go to office or come back home,” said Sambit Das, a resident of Bijoygarh.

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Streetlights

The 1.7-km stretch from Sapuipara till the Jadavpur police station crossing is inadequately lit after dusk. Half the streetlights on Jibanananda Setu do not work. The stretch from Gangulipukur to Sapuipara is pitch dark. Motorists often meet with accidents while crossing the pothole-ridden stretch in the dark.

“I feel very unsafe while cycling back home through this high-speed zone in the dark. Mugging is common,” said Nina Burman, a Class XI student of Jadavpur Vidyapith. She often returns to her Ramlalbazar home late in the evening after attending tuition classes.

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Road condition

Potholes have appeared along the stretch, which tapers into two lanes after Sapuipara. The road width decreases further near Jibanananda Setu, followed by a curvature that regularly causes traffic congestion. The pavements have been taken over by shops, tea stalls and, in some parts, even private residences. Some stretches do not have pavements, and there are portions where construction material like sand and stone chips have been dumped.

A ration shop godown has encroached on the carriageway at Selimpur Naskarpara crossing, posing a threat to vehicles entering and leaving the locality.

“Last week, an Ambassador hit a schoolboy on a bicycle and sped away. The boy did not see the car coming from the Jadavpur police station end. Luckily, he escaped with minor injuries,” said Sumanta Chakraboty, the owner of a stationery shop.

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Official version

“The southern suburbs have been witnessing vehicle pressure and it is becoming very difficult to man these stretches with our available manpower. We have made repeated requests to the agencies concerned but many roads, including the connector, are devoid of signal posts,” said Praveen Kumar, the superintendent of police (South 24-Parganas).

The chief executive officer of the CMDA, P.R. Baviskar, said the connector would be expanded to keep up with the increase in traffic.

“We are already working on widening the expressway to six lanes, and work is scheduled to be completed by March 2009. We are also planning another overbridge adjacent to Jibanananda Setu. That should ease the congestion.”

A flyover from Jadavpur police station till Lords Bakery, on Prince Anwar Shah Road, is in the pipeline, too.

Officials of the CMDA said the potholes and the streetlights would be repaired soon.