A long stretch of Seventh Cross Road in Salt Lake, an arterial road that connects the Karunamoyee bus stand to island number 8 bus stop and 206 bus stand, has been dug up and rendered useless for vehicles as well as pedestrians.
The 250m-long stretch was dug up around 6feet to lay cables of a broadband network.
The work was completed around eight months back but the stretch is yet to be opened to traffic as the blacktop has not been restored.
The dug-up stretch is on the island number 8-bound flank of Seventh Cross Road. The entire section has been closed to traffic for eight months.
The closure forces vehicles headed to island 8 and Ultadanga to move through the Karunamoyee-bound flank of the road.
On Saturday night, a scooter-rider had to be hospitalised after an app cab hit him while trying to shift to the Karunamoyee-bound flank of the road.
Barring a few traffic guardrails placed in the affected zone, there is no signage warning motorists that the road is closed and that they are supposed to drive down the other flank of the road. Those driving towards tank number 9 and subsequently to the Karunamoyee intersection from island 8 get confused as they suddenly find vehicles headed in the opposite direction in their lane.
The problem gets compounded manifold at night. Commuters moving through the island 8-bound flank tend to brake very late after spotting the construction site.
Following the recent spells of rain, the area has multiple deep puddles, which are also perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Several buses ply through the road to reach the Karunamoyee intersection, one of the busiest crossroads in Salt Lake.
They have to take sharp turns, often unsettling other motorists, in order to get on to the other flank of the road.
An official of the road repairs department of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, which is in charge of maintaining the roads in the township, said: “We are putting sand on the stretch and are allowing it to settle before laying a layer of asphalt to prevent subsidence. Once the base layer of sand completely settles, we will start laying the blacktop. But for that we need a few days that are devoid of rain.”
The official said they have received a fund allocation of Rs 10 lakh per ward and repairs are likely to start soon.
