Kolkata’s phased auto curbs during Durga Puja traffic management left office-goers and metro commuters stranded during the evening rush on Wednesday, with restrictions beginning from 4pm as buses remained limited on several routes.
Kolkata Police suspended, diverted or short-terminated auto services depending on crowd pressure and traffic conditions around major puja pandals. The city did not impose a blanket ban on autos at fixed hours, but the route-by-route changes made the journey home difficult to predict for commuters relying on autos to complete the last leg of their trips.
The disruption was reported at metro stations and major intersections during the period when commuters were leaving offices and returning home. Passengers unable to find autos had to walk longer distances, change between multiple modes of transport or turn to app-based services, which some commuters said involved significantly higher fares.
The restrictions affected routes serving areas including Behala, Rashbehari Avenue and Tollygunge. Pradip Das, an auto operator on the Behala–Rashbehari stretch, said the uncertainty over how long services would be permitted to continue was a major concern for drivers trying to serve regular passengers while responding to sudden route changes.
For metro users, the problem was concentrated in the gap between the station and home. Sunirmal Dasgupta, a New Alipore resident and regular metro commuter, said the city’s growing dependence on autos had made its transport system particularly vulnerable when such restrictions were introduced. Teesta Roy, a Behala resident, said there were few dependable alternatives after getting off the metro.
The reduction in auto availability also placed additional pressure on the limited number of buses operating along several stretches. With fewer alternatives available, passengers faced longer walks and additional changes to their journeys after completing the metro portion of their trips.
Police said regulating autos was necessary to prevent crowd surges around major pandals from bringing arterial roads to a standstill. An officer said traffic management would be particularly challenging around Rashbehari Avenue, Tollygunge Circular Road and other busy puja corridors.
Unlike a fixed-hour ban, the flexible system allowed restrictions to be adjusted according to crowd and traffic conditions. However, the lack of a predictable operating window left commuters and auto operators uncertain about which routes would remain available during the evening rush. The police restrictions were to continue as part of traffic management around the city’s major Durga Puja corridors.
