Kolkata: Traffic in Kolkata improved on Chaturthi evening after more than 6,000 traffic cops were deployed. But pandal-hoppers, office crowds and inaugurations kept the stretch from Chetla to Kalighat metro choked. Cops said traffic may take another 24 hours to become normal.Pressure is expected to remain near Sealdah and Howrah stations as many have started leaving for vacations. There were some problems in the morning when a few puja organisers had put up unofficial barricades, reducing road space. Vehicle breakdowns on AJC Bose flyover and RB Avenue also slowed traffic. However, cops solved the problems quickly.Rain in the morning caused crowding near metro stations at New Market and Hatibagan.From 4 pm, police focused on removing illegal parking. Cops in plain clothes fined taxis for double-lane parking on thoroughfares like J L Nehru Road. Police also tried to stop jaywalking near markets. R B Avenue saw heavy traffic but no major gridlock. Traffic on VIP Road near Sreebhumi was almost normal, which helped airport-bound commuters.Police reduced auto movement near major pujas from 5 pm. NCC and other volunteers were deployed to keep pedestrians inside marked walking channels. By 7 pm, most major jams were under control except in some areas of central Kolkata, New Alipore and Hatibagan, near popular pandals like Santosh Mitra Square, Chorbagan, Tala Prattoy, Nalin Sarkar Street and Suruchi Sangha.Meanwhile, a joint co-ordination meeting was held on Wednesday between senior officers of both Bengal Police and Kolkata Police to increase co-ordination. “We have decided to set up a joint vigil where ground report will be collected every two hours and action will be taken jointly. At present, we are focusing on Sreebhumi, Sector V-Nicco Park crossing, Sinthee, Amtala, Santragachhi, Garia Dhalai Bridge and Dunlop,” said an officer.Some motorists, however, complained that parking guidance was poor, especially near R B Avenue and Tridhara Sammelani.
