Residents of Chakdah, one of the most crowded towns in Nadia district, suffer battered roads and waterlogging every monsoon, for which many blame sheer civic negligence.

Craters and potholes have long become a defining feature of the town, but one stretch — an arterial portion of Bangaon Road that begins from the eastern side of Chakdah railway station — has turned into a symbol of the people’s unending plight.

A large part of the 1.4km Chakdah-Bangaon stretch, from the railway station and adjacent bus stand to the NH12 crossing, popularly known as “Chourasta”, virtually became a canal this monsoon.

The road, which connects the Petrapole land port in North 24-Parganas, stays waterlogged for three months every year. During the dry months, its massive craters and “pond-like” potholes render it equally inaccessible.

Accident-prone

Accidents have become routine on this stretch during the monsoon, as rainwater conceals the depth of craters.

“I fell off an e-rickshaw as it overturned recently and suffered a fracture in my left arm,” said homemaker Anubrata Mondal.

Suvra Deb, a schoolteacher who uses the road on e-rickshaws to reach her school in Kamalpur, said: “I travel on this road due to professional compulsions, literally risking my life, as these vehicles can overturn at any moment.”

The importance of this 1.4 km stretch cannot be overstated. A number of banks, offices and businesses are located alongside it, along with crowded residential areas Lalpur and Ranjanpally. Ambulances carrying patients from rural areas under Chakdah block use this route to reach the state general hospital.

It also serves as the main artery linking high schools, a college, a police station, the municipality and the funeral ghat. Buses from Chakdah station to Bangaon, Ranaghat, Kalyani, Calcutta, Burdwan and Nabadwip all ply through this road.

Why waterlogging

Residents allege that the root of the waterlogging lies in faulty and blocked drainage systems, compounded by the illegal filling of nearby ponds. Officials of Chakdah Municipality and the public works department (PWD) attribute the crisis to the widening of NH12.

A senior PWD official said: “Till a few years ago, rainwater drained into the roadside ditches of NH12. But with the widening of NH12 into a six-lane track, those ditches were filled up with earth, leaving no outlet for rainwater from the 1.4km stretch of Bongaon Road.”

The official added: “As a result, even a small spell of heavy rain turns the road into a canal. The local administration tries to pump out the water, but absence of ponds, many of which have been illegally filled up, makes it impossible during monsoon.”

On August 1, local BJP MLA Bankim Ghosh, swam across the waterlogged stretch in protest. The gesture reportedly prompted chief minister Mamata Banerjee to direct PWD officials to find a solution.

“About 1.5 lakh people use this stretch daily, but their suffering seems endless. I have written to every level of the administration, including the PWD minister, but no action has been taken so far,” said Ghosh.

Nabanna recently sent PWD secretary Antara Acharya to Chakdah to assess the situation. Sources said Acharya held meetings with PWD engineers and local businessmen for a solution.

What next

PWD sources said a project worth around ₹22 crore has been drawn up to provide permanent relief. The plan, awaiting cabinet approval, includes widening the stretch into a four-lane road with a divider and constructing drains on both flanks with a “reverse slope” to channel rainwater into Herer Khal.

A senior officer of PWD’s Kalyani division said: “We plan to build drains on both sides with a reverse slope, creating an outfall to Herer Khal. Chakdah Municipality will assist through the UDM programme. So far, water drained out towards the NH12 through the existing choked drainage. The waterflow of the drain will be put in reverse direction so as to push it to Herer Khal. Businessmen have also offered support, and land has been demarcated. The detailed project report is ready and we are waiting for approval. We are optimistic about starting execution by 2025-end.”