Kolkata Police have prepared pedestrian routes, metro-gate controls and traffic diversions to manage the expected Durga Puja crowds around Sealdah, Rash Behari Avenue and south Kolkata neighbourhoods. The police expect the heaviest pedestrian movement between 5 pm and 9 pm on puja days.
The plan focuses on locations where railway, Metro and road traffic converge. At Sealdah, police want visitors to use the subway connecting the railway station and the Metro station. Certain Metro gates will be marked separately for entry and exit to help manage the movement of passengers around the station area.
Police will also separate pedestrian routes at several major pandal-hopping locations. The crowd movement around Santosh Mitra Square will be separated from the route serving College Square, while Chetla Agrani will be separated from Deshapriya Park. Entry and exit points for Santosh Mitra Square will be located on BB Ganguly Street.
If the crowd becomes larger than expected, police may open another route near Jagat Cinema. The arrangement is intended to prevent visitors moving through the same access points while approaching or leaving the pandals.
Rash Behari Avenue is another key pressure point in the plan. Police expect heavy pedestrian movement at Tara Road and Mysore Road crossings, as well as at Rash Behari Crossing. At the crossing, vehicles may be allowed to move for periods of seven to 10 minutes, depending on crowd conditions.
The traffic plan also includes possible diversions for vehicles, particularly buses travelling towards Tollygunge Circular Road and Durgapur Bridge. Such vehicles may be diverted through Hazra and Alipore Road. The diversions are linked to expected pedestrian movement near the pandals and crossings along the route.
In Chetla, police expect heavy pedestrian movement at Ahindra Mancha Crossing. The location has therefore been included among the points requiring close monitoring during the evening crowd peak.
The arrangements show how Kolkata’s Puja movement depends on coordinating several urban systems at once: railway access, Metro entry and exit, pedestrian routes, arterial roads and temporary traffic controls. The police plan is centred on separating walking flows and keeping vehicles moving where possible, while allowing adjustments if crowd volumes rise.
The immediate operational focus will remain on the 5 pm to 9 pm period, when police expect the largest concentration of visitors around Sealdah, Rash Behari Avenue and the listed pandal zones.
