Kolkata: Following the first community zone below the New Town flyover adjacent to the City Square ground that was developed few years back, New Town now has another space below a bridge for organising community activities. The space below the bridge connecting New Town with Sector V has now been designated as Community Zone-II.An inaugural event with a three-day rural handicrafts fair started at Community Zone-II on Friday. The fair is set to end on Sunday.About 50 metres of the stretch below the bridge on the New Town end has been developed with a floor and fenced off with an iron grille. The place has been illuminated and is also likely to be further developed similar to the stretch below the New Town flyover moving over Biswa Bangla Sarani and beside the pedestrian plaza where community activities are being held. Govt officials said that the idea behind using the space below the bridge as a community zone is not only to develop a place where people can spend leisure and recreational time by participating in community activities, but also to prevent unauthorised encroachment on the vacant stretch. Officials said that the initiative aligns with the state govt’s recent decision to demolish unauthorised structures below several bridges across the city and to set up barricades to prevent any further encroachments under the bridges on the canal sides. “No construction work has been done. The space has been demarcated for organising community activities only,” said an official.The community hangout zone below New Town flyover, commonly known as Axis mall flyover, has become very popular among residents, with cultural events taking place quite often. “The pedestrian zone beside the City Square ground has become quite popular among people, with many thronging the place every day, especially towards the evening,” said a resident.
