Howrah bridge from Howrah station is a nightmare for commuters

A series of craters, the stench of urine, malfunctioning street lights and a proliferation of drunks and addicts… The road to Howrah bridge from Howrah station is a nightmare for commuters.

Thousands of vehicles and pedestrians use the one-way stretch, known as Howrah Bridge Approach Road, every day on the way to the city. But the authorities cannot be bothered to maintain it.

According to commuters, security is the biggest threat on the road. There are shanties on the pavement, and their residents are often take drugs after dark.

The street lights do not work, making the commuters — both in vehicles and on foot — vulnerable to mishaps. Absence of a police picket or even a traffic sergeant further increases the risk.

“It is dangerous to use the road even by day. Addicts take drugs in the open. At night, the road is so dark that one has to struggle to make one’s way. Moreover, the stretch has become an open-air urinal,” says Debarati Roy, a regular commuter.

A garbage vat adds to the stink. The eateries on the bank of the Hooghly dump their trash here.

Craters and potholes all along the road make the ride bumpy. “The road will be repaired in three months. But we cannot do anything about the vat and people relieving themselves in the open. Keeping the stretch clean is the responsibility of Howrah municipality. The eateries are to blame for the garbage,” says Debashish Gharai, a senior manager of Howrah Improvement Trust, which maintains the stretch.