Schedule Tribes rally in city throw traffic out of gear
Kolkata: Massive traffic congestion in the city due to a rally by an organisation of Schedule Tribes (ST) inconvenienced people on Friday, preventing them from reaching their destinations on time.
The traffic movement on Howrah Bridge came to a standstill for at least two hours. Due to the rally, bus services from different parts of Kolkata to Howrah via Sealdah M G Road were affected.
The rally started from Howrah railway station for R R Avenue in Esplanade around 8:15 am on Friday. When the rally was advancing towards Brabourne Road flyover along the Howrah Bridge, traffic movement came to halt from around 8:30 am.
Not just Kolkata-bound vehicles but the Howrah-bound traffic too came to a halt along the M G Road. The tail of traffic congestion almost reached Sealdah. As a result, traffic cops had to divert the Howrah-bound buses from other roads.
According to private bus operators, approximately 800 buses from different routes ply regularly to Howrah from Kolkata. But on Friday due to the traffic congestion, about 30 per cent buses were taken off route. “If one trip consumes the time taken for three trips made on a route then it becomes a nuisance. This is what happened today,” a bus operator said.
Commuters had to wait for longer intervals considering the reduction in the frequency of bus services. Around 11:30 am, long queues were spotted at Jadavpur bus terminus for buses to Howrah. After long waiting hours, the commuters had to avail overcrowded buses. Normal movement of traffic started from around 11 am. But it took about three more hours to clear the congestion in the city.
“We are not against any protest for any persons’ rights but such harassment in the name of a rally is not acceptable. We all have work and need to reach our destinations on time,” said a passenger of a bus which was stuck in the traffic congestion in College Street crossing.
Meanwhile, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay praised Kolkata Police for the traffic management amidst constraints on Friday. He reportedly said that the police did a great job, and that his car could pass smoothly, otherwise he would not have been able to reach the court on time.
