Meet over bus route diversion on Dec 30

Kolkata: The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) and bus operators will conduct a meeting in connection with route diversion in the wake of closure of Talla Bridge.

"The Regional Transport Authority Kolkata region Chairman Kolkata region and state Transport additional directorate will conduct an emergency meeting on December 30 at the conference hall of Public Vehicles Department in connection the route diversion. Representatives of bus operators will be present at the meeting," said Pradip Narayan Bose of West Bengal Bus and MiniBus Owners' Association.

Several bus routes will be reshuffled before the demolition of Talla Bridge, while a few buses are likely to be given a fresh new route. According to sources, since the closure of Talla Bridge for heavy vehicles, several routes were diverted from Chiria More via Seven tanks, Northern Avenue Belgachhia Bridge and via Khagen Chatterjee Road and Cossipore Road. However, after the shuffling of bus routes, the bus owners had claimed that they were incurring huge loss and several of them had subsequently stopped providing services.

Police have already decided to put one-way restriction on a few roads throughout the day. As per the primary plan, North-bound movement of buses will be diverted from Shyambazar via Bhupen Bose Avenue, Rajballavpara and Chitpore Lock Gate Bridge to reach BT Road.

The state Public Works Department (PWD) will start work for pulling down the Talla bridge after January 5, 2020.

This was decided at a meeting between the state PWD, transport, Railways, Metro Railways, Kolkata Police and Barrackpore Police Commissionerate on on September 14 where a detailed traffic management plan was chalked out for a hassle free communication of the people, once the razing of the bridge starts.