KOLKATA: There will be no immediate change in existing auto routes even after the East-West Metro starts operations from Sealdah on Thursday, police and local auto operators said.
Police said the Phoolbagan-Kaizer Street autos are likely to witness a rise in local passengers along with the Sealdah-Burrabazar route. The Beliaghata and Tangra routes may largely remain unaffected.
“We saw a dip in passengers in Phoolbagan-Karunamoyee route earlier. So both routes will act as last-mile connectors for locals. We hope traffic will decrease on both Narkeldanga Main Road and Beliaghata Main Road in the long run,” said an officer.
Auto union leaders did not appear to be too perturbed by the arrival of the Metro. “We will remain the fastest link from the Metro. Local passengers will now depend more on us for faster connectivity. However, cops have asked us to stick to lanes and avoid crowding near BR Singh Hospital,” said Animesh Bagh, who plies his auto on the Beliaghata-Sealdah route.
Police also want Sealdah main section passengers to use the Baithakkhana Bazar route for unhindered entry and exit. “Many passengers are using BR Singh Hospital. We need to give pedestrians quicker access towards Rajabazar. We will popularize the Lebutala route,” said an officer.
“We have decided to ask Metro and railway authorities to hand over whatever land they can within the complex though the crucial clearance at north gate is still awaited. Once we get back the land, we can increase parking space. We have pushed the app-cab stand closer to the south section of the railway station and its exit has been fixed. The process has begun yielding results. We will also increase the bay area of the present operational pre-paid taxi stand where dedicated bays have been set up. The autos have been instructed to stick to their circulation area and their zone marked by us,” said an officer.
The railways have been approached for immediate help. “A number of passengers alight at the southern side of Sealdah railway station. This has increased manifold following closure of the APC gate permanently since 2020. It has led to increased challenges in managing vehicular traffic near the railway station complex as many long-distance trains arrive within a short span of time leading to overall congestion and inconvenience,” the cops wrote to DRM Sealdah recently.
According to this letter, a five-point proposal has been forwarded to railways regarding parcel loading area. This includes widening of road surface from Canal West Road to the parcel gate for smooth dispersal of traffic, reorientation of parcel loading and unloading process to maintain free flow of vehicles, creation of space for alighting from vehicles, maintaining proper parking of parcel carriers for loading and unloading goods and arranging for proper illumination from Canal West Road to parcel gate,” In the long run, cops said that a portion of the existing Parcel Godown may be shifted or demolished for alighting/parking and manoeuvring of vehicles.
