If one were to list the worst roads in Calcutta, Taratala Road would easily rank near the top. Stretching 6km between Taratala and Ramnagar, the road is riddled with craters, potholes, and broken surfaces, turning daily commutes into nightmarish ordeals.

Almost no part of the road has a proper bituminous top layer. Instead, it resembles a path where stones and rubble have been loosely dumped over mud, barely making it motorable. Over time, even the few patches that were repaired have eroded away, exposing deep, wide potholes across the entire stretch.

“It feels like the autorickshaw will overturn any moment,” said a woman who works at an office along Taratala Road. “They swing violently left and right as they move.”

Her concerns are echoed by commuters and residents alike.

Sreeja Ghosh, an engineer who travels daily via Taratala Road, once suffered a head injury while travelling in an autorickshaw. “The vehicle swayed so much that my head hit the metal frame,” she recalled.

Sreeja and some of her colleagues had emailed the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port authority — responsible for the road’s upkeep — urging repairs. “But through the monsoon, hardly any work was done. A few heaps of rubble were dumped here and there, but no real repair happened,” she said.

A police officer said that motorcycles topple “almost every day,” and that small cars frequently get stuck in the craters, needing to be pushed out manually.

Another police officer said the road is part of a truck corridor. “Heavy goods vehicles, containers, buses, cars, and two-wheelers all use this stretch. I fear a container might overturn while trying to navigate the large craters,” he said.

“The problem worsens after a spell of rain,” Sreeja told Metro. Waterlogging hides the depth and location of potholes, making them nearly impossible to spot until it’s too late.

Lighting conditions along the stretch are just as poor. Dimly lit and lacking proper streetlights, the road is dangerous after sunset, especially for women. “It’s unsafe for women like me who often work late,” said another office-
goer.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is responsible for the road’s illumination. Sandip Bakshi, the mayoral council member in charge of the lighting department, said the issue would be looked into. “We will inspect the road and install additional lights, if required,” he said.

The deplorable state of Taratala Road even featured in a Calcutta High Court order in July this year. The court, hearing a PIL on the deteriorating condition of roads in the city and districts during the monsoon, specifically mentioned Taratala Road as one of the stretches requiring immediate repair. Nearly three months have passed since that directive.

A Jadavpur resident, who took the road to visit a relative in Parnasree on Monday evening, said he was afraid his car would break down.
“There was not a single stretch without potholes or undulations. It was dimly lit and the craters appeared suddenly,” he said.

He chose to avoid the road entirely on his way back, taking a longer, serpentine
route through neighbourhoods to reach Diamond
Harbour Road. “I couldn’t risk taking the road again,” he added.

For many, however, avoiding the road isn’t an option.

The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, the custodian of the road, has initiated repair work.

A port official said a contractor has been appointed and the work order has been issued. “Repairs have begun. Paver blocks will be laid along the entire 6km stretch. The work will be completed within eight months (by May 2026), provided we receive the necessary traffic blocks,” the official said.