Kolkata: Esplanade and other parts of central Kolkata, where lakhs of party supporters congregated to attend the Shahid Diwas programme on Monday, were up and running within an hour of the programme ending. CM Mamata Banerjee concluded her address at 2.30 pm, and despite the scale of the gathering, traffic movement was systematically restored in phases.According to KMC, 800 workers, including 100 in Esplanade alone, were deployed to clear up the roads on a war-footing.The volunteers ensured that the crowd dispersed without creating any chaos. Buses ferrying workers were parked on Central Avenue, College Street, and BB Ganguly Street. By 3.15 pm, the southbound flank of Central Avenue at the Esplanade crossing was opened to traffic. “Once we ensured crowd dispersal and pedestrian safety, we immediately opened the southbound flank for vehicles,” said a traffic sergeant. “As workers dismantled the dais, we rerouted northbound vehicles through the same flank to prevent congestion.“By 4.30 pm, both flanks of Central Avenue were operational, with a small section near the dais cordoned off for the final dismantling of the stage. Roads that had remained closed during the programme as lakhs of workers assembled there were fully open to traffic by 4.30 pm. Workers loaded the guard rails onto big lorries and immediately cleared the roads for.As soon as the programme ended, KMC teams began clean-up operations across the Maidan area, Esplanade, and surrounding roads. A senior official from the solid waste management department of KMC said, “Our teams were stationed across the city and were activated immediately after the programme. Special focus was on clearing the vicinity of the main stage and the Maidan. “Many workers who had come from the districts cooked their meals on pavements leading to Esplanade. The conservancy workers cleaned up the garbage left behind. Multiple conservancy teams were also deployed at Geetanjali stadium, Uttirno, and several accommodation points in north and central Kolkata where outstation party workers stayed overnight.
