Kolkata Residents Struggle As Bypass-Adjacent Roads Crumble
Several residential areas flanking Kolkata’s EM Bypass are grappling with dangerously damaged roads, riddled with potholes and deep craters, that pose serious mobility and safety challenges for commuters. Despite ongoing civic repair work on the main bypass, neglected tertiary lanes across neighbourhoods like Anandapur, Kalikapur, Purbalok, and Mukundapur remain nearly impassable. With monsoon rains worsening road conditions, residents and public transport operators are urging immediate civic intervention to prevent accidents, medical delays, and daily commute disruptions.
In these densely populated colonies, where private vehicles, autos, and ambulances navigate narrow roads, the lack of timely infrastructure maintenance has created a crisis of urban liveability. While officials from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) cite the lack of a dry spell as a barrier to action, residents argue that the situation has reached a point of desperation. In many cases, freshly patched roads have disintegrated within weeks of rainfall, highlighting poor materials and weak oversight in civic repair work. People dependent on timely medical access report enduring painful delays due to the jarring road conditions. Transport disruptions are adding to the distress. Shared autos and totos are increasingly short-terminating routes, refusing to travel on cratered lanes, which disproportionately impacts those without private vehicles. Commuters report long waiting times during peak hours and higher last-mile transport costs.
Operators, too, are facing financial strain as vehicle damage mounts. Without smoother roads, several have reduced frequency or changed routes altogether, affecting daily work routines and local mobility. Meanwhile, those relying on low-cost electric mobility face heightened risks of breakdowns or accidents on damaged stretches. Urban development experts argue that roads in these expanding residential belts are often overlooked because they fall outside flagship infrastructure zones. Yet they form critical links for middle-class and working families navigating health, education, and employment needs. When neglected, they disrupt more than convenience—they undermine basic urban rights. Given the climate-sensitive vulnerability of such roads, long-term solutions must focus on better drainage, quality materials, and rigorous monitoring to ensure sustainability, especially during monsoon months.
With civic authorities promising action only after bypass repairs conclude, there is growing frustration among residents who say peripheral areas are treated as an afterthought. In an equitable city model, infrastructure justice must extend to all corners, not just arterial routes. The neglect of tertiary roads deepens mobility inequities, and without urgent repairs, it threatens public health, economic activity, and community resilience in one of Kolkata’s busiest zones.
