Minister proposes ring road to improve traffic speed, make commute easier

Kolkata: State urban development and municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul on Thursday proposed the development of a ring road around Kolkata that will allow commuters to bypass the congested city if they need to travel between Howrah or beyond and North or South 24 Parganas. The proposal for the ring road, aimed at increasing traffic speed and easing commute, is part of the minister’s six-month action plan to revamp Kolkata and other cities.All major cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, have outer ring roads so that the city centres do not have to bear the load of vehicles not headed inside.Though the ring road route is yet to be finalised, a PWD official said a new bridge over the Hooghly could connect Budge Budge and Maheshtala to Garden Reach, Diamond Harbour Road, Amtala, Sonarpur, Baruipur, Basanti Highway, Taki Road, Basirhat, Kalyani Expressway, Belgharia Expressway, Nivedita Setu, Dankuni (NH2) and Panchla (NH16).Paul said her department’s focus was on development, beautification, modernisation and waste management while augmenting revenue. She also pointed out that the department was firm on enforcing law to ensure litter- and garbage-free urban areas. While the govt plans to introduce laws against public spitting or littering from Sept 1, waste segregation in Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik will start from July 1. “If people do not segregate waste, the garbage won’t be collected from their homes,” Paul warned.She said another area of focus was reducing waterlogging and preventing electrocution deaths . “Canal navigability, which has reduced, will be enhanced to ensure better flow of storm water,” Paul said.