‘Start shuttle bus from Ghosh Bagan’

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MLA from Cossipore-Belgachia, Atin Ghosh on Tuesday urged state Transport minister Snehasis Chakraborty to start a shuttle bus route from Ghosh Bagan towards southward direction. The legislator raised the demand at the state Assembly.

Ghosh Bagan in Cossipore has a population of nearly 60,000 and with no bus stops on the newly-constructed Tala bridge, the residents of this area have to travel nearly 1 km to avail bus service towards the south. The Tala bridge connects Shyambazar with North 24-Parganas district. The old bridge, constructed in 1939, had a bus stop on either side. However, with the bridge sustaining heavy damage, the decision to dismantle the old bridge and construct a new one was taken. In September 2022, the new bridge was thrown open. The new bridge is far wider, with no space for any bus stop and the residents of Ghosh Bagan have to travel nearly 1 km to the north end of the bridge to board a southbound bus, the Trinamool MLA said.

“I have consulted the Traffic department of Kolkata Police, which had made a detailed survey to examine the feasibility of a bus stop on the new bridge and informed me that it will be an impossible proposition.

So, I have proposed a shuttle bus service from Ghosh Bagan to facilitate travel for residents and the Transport minister has told me that he is examining the same,” he added.

The new bridge has four lanes while the earlier one has two. It has a length of 750 metres while the Chitpore ramp is 300 metres. The state Public Works Department (PWD) has spent Rs 504 crore for the construction of the bridge. Overall, it took two-and-a-half years for the dismantling of the old bridge and the construction of the new bridge.