Kolkata: Torrential rain has exposed the battered state of VIP Road, where fresh craters and loose gravel have reduced traffic to a crawl, triggering extremely slow traffic movement and leaving airport-bound commuters under stress.The worst-hit stretch lies between Haldiram’s crossing and Kaikhali, where large swathes of the bituminous surface were ripped apart after days of continuous rain. The damage became so severe on Friday that police shut a portion of the Ultadanga-bound carriageway and diverted vehicles along one lane at select points to ease congestion. A survey of the arterial road found vehicles inching through the damaged stretch in both directions.Traffic cops said continuous rainfall significantly worsened the condition of the road. “The surface has deteriorated rapidly over the past two days. During peak office hours, traffic movement has slowed considerably because vehicles are forced to negotiate the damaged stretches with extreme caution,” an officer said.According to police, heavy showers washed away stone chips and gravel from portions that were repaired with paver blocks last year. As the top layer eroded, potholes multiplied, making driving hazardous. To make things worse, roads dug up to place gas pipelines further eroded the road surface and resulted in huge potholes at multiple places.Motorists complained that the craters were so closely spaced that avoiding one often meant hitting another. “There is hardly any room to manoeuvre around the potholes. Immediate repairs are essential before the road becomes even more dangerous,” said Saikat Bhattacharjee, who uses the route regularly.Two-wheeler riders said the combination of loose gravel, damaged surfaces and waterlogged potholes has increased the risk of skidding. “Riders have no option but to slow down drastically because you cannot judge the depth of potholes hidden beneath the water. That affects the overall flow of traffic as well,” said commuter Debasis Das.A traffic officer echoed the concern, saying loose stones scattered across the carriageway posed an added threat to bikers. “When potholes remain submerged, motorists cannot assess how deep they are, increasing the chances of accidents,” the officer said.PWD officials attributed the deterioration to prolonged waterlogging, saying the accumulated rainwater damaged the bituminous surface. Engineers pointed to multiple reasons behind the flooding, including a partially disrupted drainage network during construction of the New Garia-Airport Metro corridor and the reduced carrying capacity of the silted Bagjola canal, into which rainwater from VIP Road is discharged.The officials added that wet soil from the Metro construction sites further led to choking of drainage channels, leading to prolonged waterlogging.The PWD, however, said patch repairs would begin as soon as weather conditions permit. “VIP Road remains one of our priority corridors. Permanent restoration can only be undertaken once we get a sufficiently dry spell,” a department official said.
