Kolkata’s mayor Firhad Hakim spoke of “funds constraints” and the need for “austerity” while presenting the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s budget for 2023-24. However, the immediate axe was on the allocation for a department that is among the most important for city residents. The allocation for the roadways department dropped by INR 9 lakh in the 2023-24 budget, compared with the last fiscal’s allotment.
The allocation for roadways was INR 340.79 crore in 2022-23. This year’s budget has proposed an allocation of INR 340.70 crore. However, if the condition of the roads is anything to go by, the city needs much more than last year’s allocation for a smooth ride.
Many roads in Kolkata are battered and uneven, though the city recently received its first rain in 145 days. Almost all roads in Kolkata are bumpy, with multiple layers of repairs, one above another and undulating surfaces.
Roads and lanes in neighbourhoods in the city plunged into darkness because of defunct street lights coated with dust or hidden behind thick foliage. Several stretches on Southern Avenue, Gurusaday Dutt Road, Ballygunge Circular Road, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Prince Anwar Shah Road and Jadavpur do not have adequate street lights.
