The one kilometer stretch of Iswar Chandra Bose Road (IC Bose Road), that connects GT Road on one side and Harimohan Bose Road on another, is said to be one of the most polluted stretches of Howrah town. As one turns right from the Howrah Station to take Bankim Setu, the gateway of Howrah, that runs over IC Bose Road, one’s senses are assaulted by an overpowering stench. A look on the right, and one finds the source of the stench in the Howrah wholesale fish market that is housed in a G+4 building. A huge heap of garbage accumulates below Bankim Setu, right in front of the wholesale vegetable market on IC Bose Road. If one happens to look above, eagles are found circling the sky and swooping down to pick their feed from the garbage heaps.

Thanks to the indifferent attitude of the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC), the gateway to Howrah is marked with stench and filth. IC Bose Road is a stockpile of refuse from the Howrah wholesale fish and vegetable markets. Hundreds of people visit the markets every day to buy and sell fish and vegetables but the kind of conservancy service needed to keep the area decently clean is completely lacking. Since a lot of water is used in the fish market every day, the area is riddled with puddles at the entrance and surrounding areas of the fish market. “The puddles are filled with black dirty water with foul smell hanging in the air. Since most of the outfall drains are already clogged by slush, water remains stagnant turning them into breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” said a fish trader, who did not want to be named. He said that sweepers engaged by the market authorities cleaned the fish market every day but the conservancy staff, whose job is to remove the garbage from the market, fail to do so regularly. “Since water remains stagnant outside the fish market, the earth outside turns soft and craters are created under the wheels of the vehicles,” said another fish trader.

Hundreds of vehicles from Diamond Harbour, Contai, Digha and Odisha visit Howrah fish market every day carrying tons of fish. Those vehicles are parked outside the fish market on IC Bose Road. “The Dobson Road-bound buses, minibuses, cars and taxis take I C Bose Road to reach GT Road. But the road is lined with trucks full of fish on one side and garbage heaps on the other,” said Ramakanta Ahir, a resident of CPT quarter.

The condition of IC Bose Road under the Bankim Setu flyover is particularly bad as the road is totally damaged under the wheels of the trucks. “The condition of the road under Bankim Setu is so bad that Tandelbagan-bound cars have to take another bypass to reach Tandelbagan rail quarters,” said Omprakash Singh, a resident of the rail quarters.
He alleged that a pay-and-use toilet built on the side of the road is damaging it too. “The pay-and-use toilet was originally built by an associate of an influential CPM leader of north Howrah. He ran the toilet illegally. Now Santosh Sahani, husband of Trinamul councillor, Laxmi Sahani, is running the toilet. Since there is no drain in the area, water from the toilet runs onto the road,” Singh said. Hundreds of porters working in the fish and vegetable markets used the toilet every day, and dirty water from there creates a puddle in the middle of the road.

Santosh Sahani, however, denied the allegation, saying that the water that accumulated on the road was from the Eastern Railway area. “We had sealed the railway drain so that water from the railway area may not flood the road. But within a few months, the Eastern Railway authorities opened the drain.”