Kolkata traffic crawls for hours post Friday rain

Kolkata: Heavy rain on Friday afternoon left several parts of the city waterlogged, severely affecting traffic and causing major inconvenience to commuters.

Police said water had accumulated on almost all key stretches, including Central Avenue, Bidhan Sarani, Rabindra Sarani, Amherst Street, APC Roy Road, Syed Amir Ali Avenue, Park Circus Connector, AJC Bose Road and Sarat Bose Road, leading to long traffic snarls.

While the situation in North and Central Kolkata eased slightly by 7 pm, South Kolkata — particularly Park Circus, Gariahat, Rash Behari Connector and J.L. Nehru Road — remained heavily congested.

By evening, parts of Central Avenue, Ahiritola, Colootola, Muktaram Babu Street and MG Road were still under ankle-deep water.

Reports of waterlogging also came from Shakespeare Sarani, Cathedral Road and nearby areas, further slowing vehicular movement.

Traffic congestion persisted in the southern parts till late evening, leaving office-goers stranded in long jams. Police said that water was cleared from most stretches by night, helping ease the traffic situation gradually.