Multiple bus routes to be reshuffled again before demolition of Talla Bridge

Kolkata: 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.

Bus owners had also alleged that drivers of existing bus routes are deliberately obstructing their movements. However, after intervention of police and state administration, the problem was sorted out.

The state Transport department had chalked out the routes of the buses, which will be shuffled again now before the demolition of Talla Bridge.

Sources informed that 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.

Meanwhile, South-bound buses will be diverted from Chiria More via Northern Avenue, Paikpara and Belgachhia Bridge. Another route will be from Chiria More via Khagen Chatterjee Road, Cossipore Road, Chitpore Bridge and Rajballavpara, to reach Bhupen Bose Avenue.

Apart from this, three bus routes, namely 30A/1, 214 and 43/1 may be given a new route to ply from the first week of January. According to Tapan Banerjee, joint secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicate, the decision has not been finalised yet. Before the demolition work of Talla Bridge, a meeting will be held by the state government and police, where the new routes will be declared.

Pandey Santosh, Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) of Kolkata Police said on Thursday: "We are working on the issue of the bus routes. The information will be given as soon as it gets finalised."