Traffic snarls around Park Street as pre-Christmas crowds surge

Kolkata: A significant portion of central Kolkata, particularly around the Park Street area, experienced heavy traffic snarls in the evening as crowds of revellers spilled onto the roads on the last Sunday before Christmas.

According to Kolkata Police, traffic remained relatively smooth until 6 pm. However, the situation began to deteriorate shortly thereafter, as large crowds flooded Park Street, spilling onto roads and creating snarls. Many people travelling by car slowed down to capture the Christmas lights, further contributing to the situation. By 8 pm, the Kolkata Traffic Police issued an update on their social media platforms, warning the public of slow-moving traffic along key stretches, including southbound Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Outram Road, Park Street and SN Banerjee Road.

Despite efforts to manage the crowd, including the installation of guardrails to keep pedestrians on the pavements, many revellers stepped onto the roads to take selfies and group photos, squeezing through gaps in the barriers, police said. In preparation for the expected surge in crowds on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, around 1,200 officers will be deployed specifically in the Park Street area, with an additional 1,800 officers stationed along the surrounding roads. However, authorities acknowledged that the manpower available was insufficient to handle the large and sudden influx of visitors on Sunday evening.

To manage the heavy flow of traffic during the festive period, Park Street will be closed to vehicles on Christmas Day as needed. In addition, Park Street, Shakespeare Sarani and all other connecting roads (except Chowringhee Road) will not be made two-way until 3 am the previous night. Queensway will be made one-way from east to west and Cathedral Road will be closed as and when required on 24 December. North and southbound vehicles will ply along Jawaharlal Nehru Road from Ho-Chi-Minh Sarani crossing to AJC Bose Road crossing.

In case of necessity, southbound vehicles will be diverted along Queensway via Cathedral Road Extension.