Highway & other route clogged - Travellers survive night on pufffed rice, buses flout rule to take road barred to heavy vehicles

Trucks lined up on the highway near the Dalkhola railway crossing; the Bengal-to-Bengal road is also clogged. Pictures by Nantu Dey

TT, 13 Nov 2016, Kolkata: Thousands of bus passengers and trucks are stuck at Dalkhola every day from 12am to 6am. The Telegraph visited the rail crossing, whose closure for six hours has led to the bottleneck, as well as an alternative road to the highway that is also getting clogged every day, given its narrowness.

The railway crossing was closed for repairs that had to be carried out on the tracks from November 9-15. The crossing is on NH34, that connects south and north Bengal and also the state to the Northeast.

Repairs

At 11.30pm, trucks were racing down the railway crossing. In half an hour the bar would come down and go up again only at 6am.

The gates at the level crossing came down at midnight and 150-odd railwaymen, led by engineer Himangshu Kumar started the repairs.

Policemen, along with GRP personnel, started lining up vehicles on both sides of the crossing.

There are four rail lines at the level crossing where the railways would replace a stretch of sleepers and tracks. Since November 9, they have replaced stretches of two tracks. Yesterday night, work to replace the stretch of the third track was carried out.

"At the level crossing, the railway tracks have sunk because of movement of heavy vehicles along the crossing round the clock. As several trains move along the route every day, there is always a risk. That is why, we decided to change the tracks at the crossing and we had to halt traffic for six hours during these seven days," Kumar, the railway engineer said. "As most of the shops have closed down on both sides of the railway crossing, we could not get any food during the night."

The repair is being halted at intervals when trains pass.

Tea and muri

Unlike other days when loudspeakers boom Hindi film songs in the roadside eateries, there is an eerie silence. The dhabas are shut. A few lamps and lanterns are seen through the gaps of the vehicles lined up on the highway. These are roadside tea stalls, selling tea and muri (puffed rice).

At Purnea More and adjoining areas, there are around 100 such eateries which remain open throughout the night. But since November 9, the eateries have downed the shutters.

"We are keeping our shops closed to avoid any problem as many people during night hours offer old notes to make payments," a shopowner said. "We don't want to get into any problem and are keeping the shops closed. We understand the inconvenience of people but are helpless."

The tea stall owners are selling their wares fast.

Stranded

Samaresh Roy, a septuagenarian resident of Agartala, was on a bus with 45 others. All were senior citizens. "We were out on a trip and visited some of the religious places in north and central India. While on the way to home, we had decided to dine in the dhabas in Purnea More (about 2km from the crossing). But we got stuck on the other side of the railway crossing," he said.

Roy and the others have little option but to wait till the morning, that is, when the gates reopen.

Samir Jha, a doctor from Forbesganj in Bihar, was heading home from Malda and got stuck at the crossing. "I had gone to Malda to see a patient and was returning home. I was clueless about the traffic block and got stuck," Jha said. "I was supposed to examine some serious patients at my place tonight but I have no other option other than waiting."

Some of the passengers, who got stuck on both sides, however, were seen planning a way out. Many of them walked for around 4km, crossed the level crossing by foot, and moved to the other side. Around 10 of them, going to Siliguri, were seen bargaining with a pick up van driver, parked near Purnea More. "The driver is asking for Rs 3,000, we have offered him Rs 2,500. It means more expenditure for us but at least, we can reach home and have food, instead of sitting here inside a bus throughout the night," Ritesh Dutta, a Siliguri resident, said.

Alternative clogged

The Bengal-to-Bengal road that opens at two points between Dalkhola and Raiganj and connects NH34 at Dhantala near Islampur, is suppsed to allow only light vehicles. After the railways had announced traffic block, the North Dinajpur district administration said no heavy vehicle would be allowed to pass through this route as the road is narrow and cannot bear the capacity of the highway traffic.

However, some buses and trucks were seen moving through this route also. Drivers of these vehicles, on being asked how they got into the route, said they had to grease the palms of the policemen posted at the entry points on both sides.

"I am carrying fish, a perishable, from Andhra Pradesh. I spoke to the policemen and they allowed me to enter the road after I handed them two crispy Rs 100 notes," said the driver of a truck spotted on the route.

Also, buses, particularly private buses running between Siliguri and other towns in north and south Bengal, were seen on this route. "Even some passengers are insisting we take the route," the conductor of a Calcutta-bound private bus said.

Ayesha Rani A, the district magistrate of North Dinajpur, when told about the heavy vehicles on the Bengal-to-Bengal road, said she would look into the matter. "Heavy vehicles are not supposed to pass through that route. If some vehicles are moving there, we will check how this is happening and pass necessary instructions to the police," the district magistrate said.