Slow traffic at Exide crossing. pic by Sayantan Chakraborty
Waterlogging at NSC Bose Road. pic by Debobrata Shome Slow traffic at Exide crossing. pic by Sayantan Chakraborty Waterlogging at NSC Bose Road. pic by Debobrata Shome Slow traffic at Exide crossing. pic by Sayantan Chakraborty Kolkata: Continuous downpour on Tuesday morning led to widespread waterlogging in several parts of south Kolkata, throwing traffic out of gear during peak office hours.
Among the KMC drainage pumping stations, Jodhpur Park recorded the highest rainfall (122 mm), followed by Kamdahari in Garia (97 mm) and Southern Avenue (91 mm). Several major drainage pumping stations in the north, including Ultadanga, Maniktala and Palmerbazar, recorded not more than 40 mm of rainfall throughout the day. The travel time between Bhawani Bhawan and Esplanade, which is usually 20 minutes, was over an hour. It was after 4 pm that the situation was finally brought under control, according to traffic police sources.
Waterlogging was also reported on Gopal Mukherjee Road, Amir Ali Avenue, Loudon Street, Rawdon Street, Elgin Road, ATM Road, Justice Chandramadhab Road, DH Road, Belvedere Road and Alipore Road. The down ramp at Hastings was waterlogged, while similar conditions were reported in north Kolkata, with roads between College Street and Thanthania Kalibari also getting affected. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in Kolkata Stay updated with the latest Kolkata news.
Some of the worst-affected areas are Gariahat Road, Ballygunge Circular Road, Asutosh Mukherjee Road, Sarat Bose Road, Rashbehari Avenue, Southern Avenue, Anwar Shah Road, Anwar Shah connector and Diamond Harbour Road, among others, according to a Kolkata Municipal Corporation drainage department source. “We felt helpless as despite the best efforts, we couldn’t flush out storm water,” said a civic official. In comparison, the northern parts of the city received less rainfall, said a civic official. “We were relieved as no major waterlogging was reported from the waterlogging-prone areas in the north,” said a KMC official.
Residents along Anwar Shah Road connector had to wade through knee-deep water throughout the day as the construction of a drainage pumping station blocked the main outfall canal, which made it difficult for the drainage department to flush out storm water that remained stagnant for hours. Traffic movement was relatively slower in Gariahat, Alipore, Bhowanipore, Exide, Behala, Kidderpore and Hastings. Rains also slowed traffic in areas like Shyambazar and Sinthee. Such was the situation that Maidan area saw severe snarls on stretches like Hospital Road and Casuarina Avenue. Similarly, jams at Exide Crossing meant that travelling from Hazra to the city centre took twice the usual time. Multiple rallies by Left-leaning organisations shut down Surya Sen Street, Lenin Sarani and SN Banerjee Road after the rain and affected the commuters, especially school-goers from central Kolkata who got stuck in the jams twice over. Download the TOI App.
Rains, rallies and a snag in the traffic signalling system disrupted traffic and caused inconvenience to thousands of office-goers and students on Tuesday morning.