Kolkata Municipal Corporation Expands Road Repair Fleet with New Milling Machines
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation's roads department is taking a significant step to enhance the city's infrastructure by procuring five new road milling machines. This strategic acquisition aims to repair and smoothen numerous city roads, ensuring a safer and more comfortable ride for motorists and bikers across Kolkata.
Boosting Capacity for Extensive Road Smoothening Project
Currently equipped with four such machines, the civic body is expanding its fleet to meet the growing demand for road maintenance. A civic official stated, "We hope to get two such machines in a couple of months. Next, three machines are expected to arrive within the next six months." This expansion is part of the ongoing 'smoothening' project, which targets several major thoroughfares to eliminate hazardous undulations.
Key Roads Targeted for Immediate Repairs
The KMC roads department has identified multiple critical stretches for the road smoothening initiative. These 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
- Raja Subodh Mullick Road
Additionally, several sections of the EM Bypass will undergo repairs, with the stretch between Ruby intersection and Ajaynagar intersection scheduled for immediate attention.
Recent Achievements and Ongoing Efforts
In 2024, the KMC roads department successfully completed road smoothening on various key routes, such as 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. The previous year saw similar work on Gurusaday Dutt Road, Ballygunge Circular Road, S N Banerjee Road, Syed Amir Ali Avenue, and Bankim Mukherjee Road in New Alipore.
Addressing Safety Concerns and Future Plans
The road smoothening project was conceived in 2022 following a directive from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who instructed Mayor Firhad Hakim to address road undulations to provide relief to commuters. A civic official acknowledged, "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."
Once the project is completed, motorists can expect smoother rides on some of the city's most problematic roads, including accident-prone Bypass stretches like the one between Ajaynagar and SRFTI. A KMC official assured that while specific sections are currently selected, the ultimate goal is to cover the entire 22-kilometer length of EM Bypass, from Ultadanga to Dhalai Bridge in Garia, as part of a comprehensive development plan.
