After storming into power in the civic elections, the Trinamul Congress team in the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) had decided to repair and beautify several roads in Howrah to give a much-needed facelift to the town. Foreshore Road was one of the several roads that the civic body had decided to do up. The road is also under the riverside beautification programme initiated by the Public Works Department (PWD). However, even after a year of assuming power, the TMC-led civic body has done no work on the road apart from erecting trident lights.
The residents of Foreshore Road are a frustrated lot. Even after repeated promises, the beautification programme has not progressed beyond erecting trident lights along the 500 meter stretch. “It is good that they have erected trident lights replacing the old vapour lights. Foreshore Road dazzles by the night. But the rest of the beautification programme like developing gardens, fountains, seats, setting up of tea stalls have not been done yet,” said Sanjib Sharma, a resident of Vivek Vihar. He said that it was important to beautify Foreshore Road because visitors, including celebrities, travel through Foreshore Road to reach Avani Riverside Mall.
“Most of the residents of central and north Howrah take Foreshore Road to reach Vidyasagar Setu,” he said. The residents are particularly peeved when they compare the neighbouring Grand Foreshore Road with Foreshore Road. “The Grand Foreshore Road has been done up very well, there is a marble sidewalk for pedestrians, who can take a stroll along the river bank. The road is smooth without any pothole or crater and there are granite seats for people,” said Gajendra Singh, a resident of Round Tank Lane.
He admitted though that it was impossible to do up the west side of the Foreshore Road without removing the settlements from the bank of the river. But the east side of the road is without encroachment and can be easily done up. “We are not expecting the civic body to do anything on the west side immediately, because it is not possible to remove the settlers overnight. But we can expect the civic body to work on the east side of the road,” he said. Once Foreshore Road is developed, the entire stretch from Howrah Station to the Avani Riverside Mall would look beautiful.
“On weekends, a large number of people from north Calcutta and north Howrah visit the Avani Riverside Mall. Most of them take Grand Foreshore Road to reach the shopping mall. While Grand Foreshore Road looks good, Foreshore Road is an eyesore,” said Samir Roy Choudhury, a resident of Shibpur. The condition of the road has deteriorated over the years. The asphalt layer has peeled off in many places which will soon develop into potholes. It has not been repaired properly. If repair work is not done before the onset of the monsoon, the condition of the road will worsen,” said a local resident. When contacted, Bivas Hazra, member of the mayor-in-council said: “We do not have funds now for Foreshore Road. The fund will be allocated during this year’s budget.”
