Monsoon adds to underpass woes

While the rest of Calcutta is thanking the rain gods for giving them some respite from the scorching heat, Sanjeeb Mukherjee of Nagerbazar is praying it does not rain. For him, even a steady drizzle means wading through dirty water early in the morning, chances of injuring himself by tripping on a protruding stone or just getting hit by an autorickshaw.

Mukherjee is not alone. This is what one lakh-odd residents of Nagerbazar, Dum Dum and Baguiati who use the Dum Dum station underpass face every day. The arrival of monsoon adds to their woes.

The underpass below the overhead railway line was constructed as a joint venture of Eastern Railway and the public works department (roads) to canalise the flow of traffic and pedestrians into three lanes, of which two were to be used by vehicles and the third one solely by pedestrians.

But things have not worked out according to plan. Ever since the three-lane underpass was thrown open to traffic and pedestrians three years ago, it has been a picture of chaos, negligence and danger.

The underpass is the perfect example of faulty construction. “The underpass is on low land, as a result of which water accumulates there even if it does not rain heavily. The approach to the underpass from both sides is very narrow, increasing the probability of accidents. There are no cops to rein in unruly buses and autos,” a PWD engineer said.

Commuters have to watch every step while jostling and elbowing their way in and out of Dum Dum station. The underpass is under ankle-deep water for most of the monsoon. The elevated plank has huge craters and jagged edges of stones stick out.

Half the lane for pedestrians has been taken over by cycle rickshaws and autorickshaws. Commuters are wary of using the underpass after dark because there are no lights.

According to a survey conducted by the transport department, almost a lakh people use the underpass each day, except on Sundays and holidays.

“Dum Dum has excellent transport facilities, like the Metro, suburban trains and Circular Railway. But traffic management in and around it is completely faulty,” said Sujit Kumar Sadhya, the secretary of the Dum Dum Eastern and Metro Railway Passengers’ Association. “Someone falls down and gets hurt every day. We were so fed up that we had to form an association to get work done. We have approached South Dum Dum Municipality and officials of Eastern Railway, but nothing has come through yet.”

South Dum Dum Municipality, the civic body that is responsible for the upkeep of the underpass, has washed its hands of the chaos. “We will not be able to give any relief to people using the underpass this year. Meetings are on, but nothing has evolved yet. I cannot give a specific date when repairs will start,” said vice-chairman Niranjan Bhattacharya.