It has been about three and a half years that I have been going to my college in Sector 5 via Chingrighata. Sector 5, the new tech town of Kolkata, the future pride of Kolkata, the main attraction of all large industries and companies in Kolkata. It has really developed a lot in the past few years to facilitate the growth of industrialization. Something we all appreciate. But there are some serious flaws that sometimes give the impression that the place has ceased to be habitable.

Firstly, I must say the transport facility is very inadequate in the region. Specially during the office hours in the morning, it’s really a pity to see the commuters chase buses in the Chingrighata bus stand. Some of them while waiting in the queue for auto, start running as soon as they see the bus. Some even start running from across the divider (that looks so risky !!). The buses, stop after travelling quite a distance after crossing the auto stand (which consists of the entire queue, consisting about a 50-60 people and also a few autos). Needless to say, most of the buses arrive jam-packed. Feels really bad when I see elderly people running hard and struggling to catch the buses. About 20-25 people always try to board the bus together. The auto-rickshaws are the only respite one can get during these wrestling hours. But there one has to compromise with time. It’s really not a come-and-go situation. One has to wait at least 20 minutes in the queue, and that’s a lot as every second counts then. Increasing the number of buses, though a probable solution. looks ridiculous after the office hours. Since most of them go with very few passengers. So I would suggest to provide some transport for that small stretch only, could be increasing the number of autos, or share taxis, or if situation demands, buses. As the gravity of the situations calls for some solution, this plea cannot be ignored.

Secondly, the water-logging problem is really amusing. It appears as if the place is a bowl, designed to contain water. A few hours of continuous rain, and the water starts growing fast from divider towards towards the pavements (where provided). The water-logging brings with it a graver problem. The roads open up to pot-holes, sometimes posing fatal traps for pedestrians. Driving becomes really risky too with the water-filling the potholes, one can have no idea about how deep the water goes.

Thirdly, I would like to talk about the safety of the area after dusk till dawn. We see many instances of eve-teasing, minor thefts and people being harassed in many ways in the newspapers. These incidents seem to have decreased over the past few months, thanks to the patrolling provided by the police which keeps such people at bay. This is the only issue I feel has been taken care of properly by the authorities.

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I sincerely hope that all the issues get solved soon as I love my Kolkata just too much to see it this way. I do hope that our future pride is really a place that we can appreciate from the bottom of our hearts, not merely by reading its achievements in the newspapers and headlines.