Durga Puja is synonymous with pandal hopping in Kolkata, but navigating the city during the festive season is again proving to be a major challenge.
With Kolkata Police imposing road closures and diversions at key crossings during the seven main days of Durga Puja and the immersion period, traffic congestion has disrupted daily commutes, leaving office-goers and revellers struggling to get around the city.
Autos have stopped plying on major roads across north, central, south and south-west Kolkata, as well as the southern suburbs, after 3pm. With fewer transport options available in the evenings, commuters and office-workers are finding it increasingly difficult to return home, while those heading out to visit pandals are also facing delays.
“I travel from Behala to Calcutta High Court every day. Autos are not available in the evenings, so returning home is a challenge, as buses are overcrowded and you need to be lucky to even manage to get on one. The last day I was in a car and there was a 20-minute congestion on Taratala flyover. Besides, Chetla is unusually congested these days, making the commute really difficult. What used to take less than an hour is now taking 1.5 hours,” said advocate Asmita Mitra.
The congestion is not limited to Kolkata. Several major corridors have been made one-way, affecting traffic movement in neighbouring areas as well. In Howrah, poor road conditions and potholes are adding to the difficulties, particularly in areas that attract large crowds during Puja.
“When it comes to basic civic infrastructure, Howrah often remains below the radar. The condition of the roads is a major concern, with potholes making smooth commutes difficult, particularly in areas such as Shibpur, Salkia, Santragachi and Chatterjeehat. These areas, which also see a considerable influx of Puja crowds, become very difficult to navigate, with traffic congestion compounding the chaos and causing delays,” said Sourav Lahiri, who works in the private sector.
The IT hub of Sector V is also witnessing traffic snarls, affecting employees travelling from different parts of the city.
“It's a big hassle to reach my office during Puja in Sector V. It's taking well over an hour via bike from south Kolkata. The congestion continues until 12.30pm. Bypass Connector, Wipro More, Webel and College More are jammed up for most times of the day,” said Akash Mukherjee, who works at a service sector major.
For some commuters, the delays have been compounded by difficulties in finding cabs. Digital creator Kausavi Dutta Banik, who said she usually finds Kolkata's traffic management efficient, expressed disappointment with the situation.
“It took me 1.5 hours to reach Girish Park from Baguiati and then 45 minutes from Camac Street to Park Circus yesterday. The mismanagement is so visible. The cab drivers are refusing passengers even if they are ready to pay a bomb,” she said.
With congestion already affecting daytime travel, concerns are growing over how traffic will move during the evening pandal-hopping rush. “If daytime's scenario is like that, then what would it be in the evening? It would be more difficult to move even an inch by public or personal vehicles in the upcoming days,” noted dancer Sharmita Kar Ghosh.
The situation has also affected short-distance travel within south Kolkata. “Things have just gotten from bad to worse. Purnadas Road to Panditiya takes an hour, so you should be happy with your speed of crawl,” observed fashion entrepreneur and machine designer Prithvish Chakravarti.
My Kolkata tried to contact Santosh Pandel, additional commissioner of police, Kolkata Traffic, and Ravi Inder Singh, principal secretary, Kolkata Traffic, for their comments, but the calls could not go through.