Thousands of office-goers had a difficult commute on Tuesday as candidates who had written the test for appointment of teachers in government-aided primary schools blocked the main artery from Karunamoyee to Sector V and New Town.
The candidates have been holding a sit-in since Monday afternoon and refused to budge till late on Tuesday.
The Wipro-bound flank of the Second Avenue — the road that connects Karunamoyee with Sector V and New Town — had to be cordoned off on Monday after the protesters started demonstrating in front of the headquarters of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, a stone’s throw from Anandalok Hospital.
Repeated announcements by senior officers of the Bidhannagar commissionerate requesting the job aspirants to move away from the road leading to the hospital and two IT hubs had little effect on the protesters.
A section of protesters also tried to block the gates of the Karunamoyee Metro station and got into a scuffle with cops, who ensured that they could not squat near the gates.
Malini Sinha, a software developer who works for an IT firm that has its offices in Sector V, said she reported late for work on Tuesday and had to spend extra to get an autorickshaw to drop her at College More.
“My workplace is near the RDB Boulevard. Like on other days, I got off near the Lake Town footbridge and took an autorickshaw to Karunamoyee. I wanted to take Metro and got off at Sector V station, near Wipro. But I saw the protesters in front of the station and hurried away. Finally, I got an autorickshaw that took Rs 50 to drop me at College More,” said Sinha, who lives in Dum Dum Park.
Nagerbazar resident Sandip Basu, who works for a private auditing company in Sector V, had a similar story to tell. He got off a bus at the Hudco crossing in Ultadanga and boarded an auto on his way to office.
“I had heard about the protest on Monday but did not realise it would continue through the night. Most autos from the Hudco intersection demanded extra fare. My colleague and I decided to book an app cab, which cost us more than of Rs 250. The auto ride tothe office from Hudco costs Rs30,” Basu said.
To ensure that buses and other vehicles could ply tillSector V, the Bidhannagarcommissionerate divertedWipro-bound traffic towards the FE island, from where they could access Second Avenue and proceed towards Wipro.
Gaurav Sharma, police commissioner of the Bidhannagar commissionerate, said officers on the ground had requested the protesters to lift the blockade several times.
“Senior officers spoke to them and we made repeated announcements asking them to lift the blockade. AnandalokHospital have filed a complaint saying patients were facing problems. We hope to find a solution soon,” Sharma said.
