Traffic woes and Howrah go hand in hand but with the resumption of work on East-West Metro, Howrah residents will have to brace for further chaos as bus routes are rejigged, one-way rules revised and more roads made out of bounds.

Even while work was stalled on East West Metro, Howrah Maidan had been a commuter's nightmare with large areas cordoned off and traffic diverted through the adjoining narrow lanes. Now with work beginning on the Howrah Maidan station from November 7, it is bound to be a hellish ride but one that commuters are willing to brave in the hope of better connectivity.

The Howrah traffic police are gearing up to bring some method to the madness by shifting Mangalar Haat vendors from the roads to the pavements, deploying traffic marshals at Howrah Maidan, putting in place signages and playing audio guides for motorists.

Howrah Maidan

One of the most important thoroughfares of Howrah, Mahatma Gandhi Road from the Church Road crossing to Sarat Sadan will remain closed to buses and goods vehicles. The iron bridge, built by the Metro Railway authorities over the construction area to allow access to Panchanantala Road from MG Road, will be replaced by another one next to it that will allow only light passenger vehicles.

Buses going to Kadamtala, Ichhapur, Kamardanga, Ramrajatala, Baksara and Dasnagar from Dharmatala will be diverted through Church Road. "Buses descending from Bankim Setu near the DM's Bungalow crossing and going towards Panchanantala Road will turn right into Church Road. They will again take left from Phansitala More to reach Panchanantala Road," said Sumit Kumar, the deputy commissioner of police (traffic) in Howrah.

Market mess

A major bottleneck on Church Road is likely on Mondays and Tuesdays, the business days at Mangalar Haat. "On these two days, we plan to divert buses through Hari Mohan Basu Road near Tandelbagan from Bankim Setu. The buses will turn right from Bankim Setu and then turn left to Hari Mohan Basu Road and from thereon they will go through Chandmari bridge, turning left towards Phansitala More and further on to Panchanantala Road," said Kumar.

Long way to go

Long distance buses that take Howrah-Amta Road will have to take a detour. "Long-distance buses will take Rishi Bankim Road from the DM's Bungalow crossing and then go via Foreshore Road, Jagat Banerjee Ghat Road and GT Road onto the ramp for Kona Expressway. From the Belepole crossing, they will turn right into Drainage Canal Road and go straight to reach Shanpur crossing and take Howrah-Amta Road on the left," Kumar said.

Passenger dip

Bus operators will not be too happy with such diversions. "We will have to see which route will work best," said Kumar. Bus owners are not willing to take routes where they will not find passengers. "We get a lot of passengers going to Howrah Court and the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) from Dharmatala. If the route is changed, we will lose out on these passengers," said a driver of a Kadamtala-bound minibus.