The proposed Salkia flyover may ease the traffic load on Salkia Chowrasta, but the rest of GT Road, from TL Jaiswal Hospital to Bally Khal, will continue to be plagued by chock-a-block traffic snarls because of the random flouting of traffic rules. According to the one-way traffic norm in north Howrah, Bally and Hooghly-bound buses from Calcutta and Howrah Station take GT Road through Howrah Maidan. But the oncoming Calcutta- and Howrah Station-bound buses, trucks and cars from Bally and Hooghly are diverted to Howrah Road from Belur Bazar. “The one-way rule on GT Road is implemented from Belur Bazar because we do not have an alternative route to divert the buses, trucks and cars. The purpose of following the one-way rule is to ease the traffic jam on GT Road, particularly, in the stretch that goes through industrial belts like Ghusuri, Bhotbagan and Guha Road. Had there been two-way traffic on this heavily congested stretch, traffic jams would have been severe here,” said a senior officer of the traffic department.

But at the same time he conceded that the police had to allow buses of some routes to break the one-way rule from Belur Bazar following a court order. “We are helpless. We allow some buses of particular routes to break the one-way rule knowing very well that it would cause traffic jams. We cannot flout a court order,” the officer said.

The owners of 54 and 54/2 route buses moved Calcutta High Court once the one-way rule was imposed on GT Road in 1998. The HC, in its order, asked the police to allow 54 and 54/2 route buses to break the one-way rule and travel along GT Road till the crossing of GT Road and Naskarpara Road so that they can pick up as many passengers as possible from this stretch to make their business viable.

Buses of Routes 54 and 54/2 cause traffic jam on GT Road as they flout one-way rules

Accordingly, the 54 and 54/2 route buses, instead of taking Howrah Road from Belur Bazar, travel along GT Road breaking the one-way rule and only after crossing Naskarpara Road near TL Jaiswal Hospital, do they turn left and take Howrah Road.

“Initially, we were following the one-way rule. But we noticed that we were reaching Dharmatala and Howrah Station with only a handful of passengers. We realised that we would suffer huge losses if we did not pick up passengers from GT Road, so we decided to move court and the court gave its judgement in our favour,” said Mahabir Chatterjee, owner of a 54 route bus. He said that most of the passengers of the 54 route buses were students of MC Kejriwal Vidyapith, Don Bosco school, IP Memorial school and a dozen other schools in the area. He also said that a large number of passengers boarded the bus from TL Jaiswal Hospital. “Its easier for students and other passengers in these areas to avail the buses because after imposition of the one way rule, they had to take a rickshaw to reach Howrah Road to board a Howrah- bound bus,” said Rupkumar Das, a driver of 54 route bus.

Not only 54 and 54/2 route buses, Satyabala-Kasba mini buses are also allowed to flout the norm. These mini buses start from Satyabala Telephone Exchange and reach Salkia Chowrasta breaking the one-way norm and then turn left to take Shri Aurobindo Road to reach Howrah Road. Satyabala-Kasba route buses get most of their passengers from Satyabala Telephone Exchange, Satyabala ID Hospital, Liluah Big Bazar and Salkia Chowrasta.

The Belur Bazar crossing from where all traffic turns left to go to Howrah Road. Pictures by Gopal Senapati

This partial two-way rule from Belur Bazar to Naskarpara Road and Salkia Chowrasta often causes severe jams on GT Road. “The purpose of one-way traffic was beaten when certain buses were allowed to flout the norm,” said Omprakash Singh, a resident of Tandel Bagan rail quarter. He faces jams on GT Road while shuttling between Bally and his house several times a week. Besides, big trucks from Ghusuri, Bhotbagan and Guha Road, too, flout the norm to reach factories along GT Road.

Ashok Ghosh, the Trinamul MLA from north Howrah, who has played an active role in restarting the construction of Salkia Flyover, wants a direct bus between north and south Howrah. However, he is clueless about how that would happen without overhauling the traffic system. “The Bally- and Hooghly-bound buses from Calcutta and Howrah Station will have to be diverted to Howrah Road or GT Road should be made two-way. But if that is done, the notorious jams on GT Road will return,” said Umesh Rai, president, Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha, Howrah unit.