Kolkata: Concerns assuaged, cops get on board with Jadavpur flyover plan

KOLKATA: City police who had opposed the construction of a flyover between Dhakuria and Sulekha More in south Kolkata citing unmanageable traffic in the construction phase has altered their opinion and agreed to the project. The U-turn comes on the day Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) opened the tenders for the project. Several construction majors have already bid for the Rs 248-crore, four-lane elevated corridor spanning 1.6km.
The flyover will start where the Dhakuria bridge ends and cross Jadavpur police station and Jadavpur 8B bus stand before descending near Sulekha crossing. The project deadline is 24 months from the time of starting construction work.

Kolkata traffic police on Thursday said the construction plan mooted by the executing authority seemed acceptable. “We have been informed that the construction firm will block only a small section of the road at a time. It will first do the piling work on one pillar and then clean up the area before moving to the next spot. The company will also carry out a detailed study of the essential supplies in the area before they begin construction,” said a senior officer at Lalbazar.

With Kolkata Police accepting the plans, KMDA officials said the project was now ready to roll. Sources said a detailed project report will be shared with police soon, after which the blockade details will be discussed.

“We will need to ascertain if work will begin from one end or both ends simultaneously. Ideally, we will have to ensure that both Anwar Shah Connector and Santoshpur Avenue are free of traffic snarls. Prince Anwar Shah Road and Jadavpur Central Road will have to bear some pressure. We will introduce the blockades as and when required,” explained an officer from the planning division.

“We have analysed the traffic flow and found that during the construction of the flyover — which will take two to three years — people residing on either side of the stretch at Selimpur, Jodhpur Park and Jadavpur will face a lot of difficulty as this stretch is considered vital for north to south movement. The diversion in traffic can also lead to clogging of Prince Anwar Shah Road and SP Mukherjee Road,” the officer said.