The sudden closure of the crucial Taratala Flyover for load testing plunged vast swathes of South Kolkata into a commuting nightmare on Monday. Lakhs of residents from Behala and commuters heading to destinations like Maheshtala, Amtala, and Diamond Harbour faced harrowing delays, with travel times stretching to over three hours for journeys that normally take a fraction of that.
Commuter Ordeal and Snarled Traffic
The shutdown, which began on Saturday evening and is slated to continue until Tuesday midnight, forced all vehicles onto a single lane beside the flyover. This created an immense bottleneck, affecting an estimated 2 lakh vehicles throughout the day. The chaos began early, with long queues forming by 7:30 am.
The ripple effect was severe. The entire Behala stretch of Diamond Harbour Road was clogged, with congestion reaching Behala Chowrasta, 3 km away, by 10:30 am. Traffic snarls extended to Siriti Crossing, nearly 4 km from the epicentre, as police diverted vehicles via Roy Bahadur Road, James Long Sarani, and Biren Roy Road East. Sahapur Road leading to Durgapur Bridge also saw massive queues.
Personal Tales of Frustration and Lost Time
Commuters shared stories of immense frustration. Anindita Sen, an IT employee, spent over 85 minutes to travel a mere 3.5 km from Behala Manton to Taratala. Her total commute from Chowrasta to Sector V exceeded three hours. "The traffic remained stagnant as I fumed inside the app car. In the process, I missed an important meeting," she lamented.
Tirthankar Bose, a Behala resident, took over two hours to reach Esplanade from Behala Chowrasta, comparing the ordeal to the "same feeling as when the Majerhat Bridge collapsed." Even those who ventured out later faced issues. Rishi Banerjee reported that a usual five-minute drive took around 40 minutes at 1 pm.
Evening Gridlock and Police Advisory
The situation only eased slightly around 2:30 pm, but the evening brought a fresh wave of congestion on the Behala-bound flank. Jams stretched from the Command Hospital to areas like Mayurbhanj and Chetla. Even the alternative bridges—Durgapur Bridge and Karunamoyee Bridge—which police hoped would absorb the extra load, witnessed painfully slow movement.
Kolkata Police have issued a route-planning advisory for the closure period. They encourage:
- Northbound vehicles to use Karunamoyee Bridge or Biren Roy Road.
- Southbound traffic to opt for Durgapur Bridge, Hide Road, Nalini Ranjan Avenue, or Karunamoyee Bridge.
However, many commuters found the suggested detours impractical, with some, like the Hide Road option, adding several unnecessary kilometres to their already extended journeys.
