The approach road that connects Mumbai Road or NH-6 and Delhi Road or NH-2 on one hand, and GT Road on the other, is in a mess for a long time for various reasons. Hundreds of vehicles pass along this stretch every day to reach their destinations in Howrah, Hooghly, Midnapore, Mumbai and Delhi. The road is narrow and allows two-way traffic but to the peril of people, a large number of trucks and trailers are parked on the side of the road. There have been a number of accidents, including deaths and serious injuries, but police have failed to take any action against the owners of the trucks and the trailers. 

“We have repeatedly requested the police to take action against these errant trucks and trailers that are parked on the road but they turn a blind eye,” said Ankush Pal, a resident of Saheb Bagan, Bally. He alleged that the police were the culprits allowing the large vehicles to park on the roads for money. “The bikers and drivers fail to notice on-coming vehicles from the opposite direction because of the parked trucks and trailers and frequently meet with accidents,” Pal said. 

There are a large number of dhabas on the stretch where truck drivers have their meal every day after parking their vehicles on the side. They also rest in the dhabas, while waiting for the no-entry to the city to lift. 

“Earlier, there was a lot of space in front of the dhabas where drivers used to park their vehicles. But during the expansion of NH-2 and NH-6, the land of the dhabas was acquired by the highway authorities. Now the drivers have no alternative but to park their vehicles on the side of the road,” said Sanat Das, owner of a dhaba. He said that trucks and trailers have always been parked on the side of the highways.  

“We have requested the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to arrange a free parking area for drivers where they could park their vehicles and rest while waiting for the no-entry to lift,” said Sumit Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Traffic, Howrah. He denied the allegation that police did not take action against the trucks and the trailers saying, “We have kept a dedicated crane in the area so that the parked trucks and trailers can be towed away.” He claimed that the number of trucks and trailers parked there these days was fewer. 

The police also said that they are trying to remove the mess near the Bally Halt station by taking a string of measures. A number of people died or were seriously injured near Bally Halt station while trying to cross the road. “People, earlier, crossed the road whenever they wished to. Now, we have barricaded a large area by ropes and people are only allowed to cross the road through a particular point,” said an officer of Bally police station.