KMC set to smooth out CR Ave, Gariahat, Tolly, DH Rd stretches

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation roads department is set to buy five new road milling machines to repair several city roads to ensure a smooth ride for motorists and bikers. Currently, the civic body has four such machines. With demand for taking up more road stretches under the ‘smoothening' project, KMC decided to procure the new machines."We hope to get two such machines in a couple of months. Next, three machines is expected to arrive within the next six months," said a civic official. According to plans, the KMC roads department will take up stretches of several major thoroughfares that include Chittaranjan Avenue, APC Roy Road, B B Ganguly Street, Cossipore Road, JL Nehru Road, Asutosh Mukherjee Road, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Road, Sarat Bose Road (western flank), Gariahat Road, Tollygunge Circular Road, DH Road, NSC Bose Road (Tollygunge), Anwar Shah Road, and Raja Subodh Mullick Road, among others. It will also take up several stretches of EM Bypass for the road smoothening project. The stretch between Ruby intersection and Ajaynagar intersection will be taken up soon.
In 2024, the KMC roads department completed road smoothening in areas like Bhupen Bose Road, Beleghata Main Road, AJC Bose Road, Theatre Road, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, Picnic Garden Road, Belvedere Road, Hastings Park Road, and Alipore Road, among others. Last year, the civic body took up stretches of Gurusaday Dutt Road, Ballygunge Circular Road, S N Banerjee Road, Syed Amir Ali Avenue, and Bankim Mukherjee Road (New Alipore) for the road resurfacing project.The department conceived the road smoothening work in 2022 following CM Mamata Banerjee's diktat asking the mayor, Firhad Hakim, to iron out the undulations to give motorists and bikers relief from bumpy rides. "Motorists and bikers often complain about undulations on several stretches of roads. In several stretches, frequent digging followed by hurried repairs have led to undulations that are often hazardous and cause accidents, especially at night," a civic official admitted.According to a KMC official, motorists may hope to enjoy a smooth ride on some of the really bad undulating stretches of the city's thoroughfares, as well as several Bypass stretches, once the project is completed. The official conceded that some Bypass stretches, such as the one between Ajaynagar and SRFTI, were really bad and accident-prone and hence needed to go through this road smoothening project. However, the entire length of the arterial road (22 km) will go through a comprehensive development plan, the official assured. "We have now selected some stretches, but ultimately we will cover the entire length of EM Bypass—from Ultadanga to Dhalai Bridge in Garia," he added.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Women's day wishes, messages and quotes !