Pandals add to pain ahead of Puja revelry

KOLKATA: A portion of a south Kolkata neighbourhood that perennially complains of bad roads is now caught between choosing either a smooth ride or grand Durga Puja pandals.

James Long Sarani, the 8km lifeline of Behala has been blocked at three places where pandals of three different puja committees are coming up. With the triple problem of overhead Metro construction, a road-widening project and a KEIP water pipe laying work on Diamond Harbour Road, locals are now getting further delayed, staying stuck in hour-long snarls even on an otherwise smooth bypass corridor.

While the 29-Pally

Sarbajonin Durgotsab Committee

is putting up a pandal at the crossing of SN Banerjee road and James Long Sarani, committies of Sree Sangha and

Nafar Chandra Das Road

are building their respective pandals within 70m of each other at the James Long Sarani-Satyen Roy Road crossing.

“There are three prominent schools in the locality and now that the pandals are being constructed, traffic management has become real tough. We have posted extra officials near the pandals,” said an officer of James Long Traffic Guard.

Cops had asked for scaling down of the structures, which none of the committees agreed to. “We haven’t taken up the entire road but only portions. People here are ready to make such a small compromise once in a year. We have been organising our puja at this place for the past 66 years. It’s a matter of pride,” said Prosenjit Halder, of Sree Sangha puja committee.

Locals, however, aren’t in agreement. “Even when DH Road was chock-a-block, I could cover Thakurpukur to Taratala in 20 minutes via James Long Sarani. Now my travel time in the morning is over 45 minutes,” said Arijit Roy Chowdhury, who takes James Long Sarani to reach his office in Esplanade.