Behala: A stretch of Diamond Harbour Road between Behala Chowrasta and Sakherbazar is closed for a PWD project, triggering snarls and fear of accidents among pedestrians.

A 700m stretch on the western or Taratala-bound flank, close to the Sakherbazar junction, has been closed for a road-strengthening project, forcing vehicles in both directions to ply through the eastern (Joka-bound) flank.

To make things worse, several private buses remain parked on one side of the Taratala-bound flank, narrowing the carriageway.

"An accident is waiting to happen. During the morning and evening rush, it takes 20-30 minutes to cover the 700m stretch. Buses, autos, taxis, cars and cycles - all jostle for space and it is a nightmare for pedestrians," said S. Ganguly, a resident of Sakherbazar.

The Sakherbazar junction is an accident-prone zone. On December 6, 2016, an elderly woman was crushed by a speeding truck while she was crossing the road.

The shops dotting the footpath keep everything from plastic furniture to stacks of stationery items on the pavement, forcing pedestrians to walk down the carriageway.

When Metro visited the spot on Tuesday afternoon, some six buses plying on the 222 and 3D routes were parked along the eastern flank, a little distance from the stretch that is closed.

"We used to park the buses on both flanks. But since this stretch (eastern flank) has become a two-way road, we can no longer park the buses there," said the driver of a 3D bus.

The 222-route buses ply between Bonhooghly in north Calcutta and Behala Chowrasta and the 3D buses between Milk Colony and Sakherbazar.

Manas Saha, a resident of nearby Silpara, said he had been taking James Long Sarani, which mostly runs parallel to Diamond Harbour Road, to avoid the congested stretch.

"It is a detour. But I don't want to drive through this mess," said Saha, 49, a railway employee.

"The road should be reserved for fast-moving vehicles but it handles mixed traffic, including cycles and handcarts, not to mention the large number of autos," said a traffic sergeant posted at the crossing.

An executive engineer of the PWD, which is in charge of maintaining the road, said the road-strengthening work was part of a bigger project to strengthen Diamond Harbour Road between Taratala and Joka.

"It is being done in a phased manner. We have kept one flank open to traffic. Work on the stretch should be complete within 8-10 days," said the engineer.