Anwar Shah Road connector meets Bypass [Picture source]
Anwar Shah Road connector to EM Bypass was presumably one of the first ones planned, yet long after EM Bypass has emerged as the numero uno gateway on the city’s eastern fringe, it is only yesterday that it has been formally opened to traffic. The connector is still a narrow stretch considering the width of Rashbehari and Park Circus connectors, but work will begin soon to widen it.
Though its opening has been rightly hailed by people from Jodhpur Park and Tollygunge to Behala, the Anwar Shah Road connector has all the ingredients to rapidly turn into a traffic nightmare. There will be torrent of traffic that will take this route in coming days. Adding to woes will be sizeable contribution from South City once it’s ready in a year’s time.
Looking at this real problem, the South City promoters have at their cost come forward to build 2 flyovers to ease traffic congestion at a likely cost of Rs.100 crore. The shorter one will start from just before Jadavpur Thana, and proceed east over the Jadavpur Thana crossing on to the connector.
The second one is a kilometer and a half long. This will start from JU main hostel, and proceed west to touch down Anwar Shah Road just before the new approach road to the Lake Gardens flyover. This flyover will have 2 arms, one to South City complex itself, the other to Golf Green Road.
South City is the largest residential complex in eastern India. Its 4 towers will have 1650 flats, and there will be giant shopping mall, multiplex, school, offices, and what not. Estimates suggest at least 10,000 people will enter/exit the complex everyday. A study done by the promoter, South City Projects (Calcutta) Limited, indicates that apart from about 2000 residents’ cars, another 3500 vehicles will ply on Anwar Shah Road.
Anwar Shah Road already experiences a rush of 1500-2000 cars in peak hours, which will in any case increase dramatically because of the opening of the Bypass connector. To this if South City generated traffic gets added, one can imagine what a great traffic disaster lies ahead.
Understandably, the 2 private flyovers will go a long way to mitigate people’s hardship. If this happens, it’ll probably be the first such 100% private initiative for public use.
South City complex [Picture source]
Technorati Tags: south city, em bypass, flyover, kolkata, calcutta
It should be made mandatory to have a traffic share tax for all commercial and residential projects.
Perhaps yes. Some innovative ways to levy taxes can be thought of. Gov’t is too broke to build essential public utilities, and given a near-guaranteed reign for many more terms to come, doesn’t have any shame at all.