Nirbhik Bangla Special Report: Ahead of Durga Puja, initiatives were taken to decorate various major roads, bridges, and flyovers with red, blue, yellow, and colorful paints, stretching from West Bengal’s capital Kolkata to the industrial city of Asansol. However, amidst these aesthetic beautification efforts, several videos went viral on social media recently showing bikes and other two-wheelers skidding on roads following rain. Following these incidents, sharp questions have started arising among the general public regarding the city's infrastructure and road safety.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, the concerned authorities have taken initiatives to scrape off the colorful layers from several important bridges and flyovers in Kolkata so that the friction or grip of vehicle tires returns to normal. Meanwhile, a political tussle has erupted in the state politics over this entire issue. The opposition party Congress has accused the government of wasting public money and making unplanned decisions behind such beautification. On the other hand, State Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul has clearly stated that all these works are in no way being carried out using the government treasury or common people's tax money; rather, the entire process is being conducted through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
This is our special presentation regarding the scenes of bikes skidding on roads after rain and the subsequent political and administrative reactions.
Viral Videos and Concerns Over Road Safety
In a bid to make the city visually appealing during the festive season, alpana (traditional floor art) and colorful design works have been carried out in various populated areas, including Gariahat Bridge, Chingrighata Bridge, Red Road, and Park Circus Connector. However, continuous rain and the resulting accidents have raised questions about whether there was a lack of adequate technical assessment. Videos circulating on social media showed that several bikers faced danger due to tires skidding on the colored road layers right after rain.
Following this incident, experts believe that the type of paint or chemicals used on the roads can become excessively slippery in rainwater. Although an independent and thorough investigation is still needed to determine whether road paint is the sole cause of these accidents, the administration is not sitting idle for the sake of safety. Work has already begun to scrape or crop the road surface to increase friction capacity on parts of the Chingrighata and Gariahat bridges.
Congress Attack and Demand for Accountability
Prasenjit Poitandy, a member of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee, strongly criticized the state government over this incident. Pointing to the prevalence of blue-and-white paint on government buildings and bridges during the Trinamool Congress regime in the past, he mocked the current government's policy of using these new colors. He questioned that if people's lives are endangered due to painting and if those colors have to be removed later at a cost, who will take the responsibility for this wastage?
Prasenjit Babu stated that even though the work was done using CSR funds, that money could have been a major part of public welfare or infrastructure development. A white paper should be published on why the roads were painted directly without proper testing and why the decision to remove it had to be taken later. The Congress leadership has also demanded an impartial inquiry into the whole matter.
Minister Agnimitra Paul's Defense: Entire Work Done via CSR Funds
In response to criticism from the Congress and other quarters, State Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul made it clear that not a single penny of the common people's money was spent on this beautification work. All these expenses were borne through the CSR funds of various corporate organizations.
She said, 'Keeping the city beautiful is one of the primary responsibilities of the Urban Development Department. Just as supplying drinking water or garbage removal is important, keeping the city clean and aesthetically decorated also falls under our duties.' The minister further stated that the news of alpana being painted on the Garia-Thakurpukur bridge was completely untrue. However, in places where this work has been done with the assistance of commercial and industrial organizations, public safety is being given the highest priority.
Viral Videos and Underlying Causes of Accidents
Regarding the videos circulating on social media, Minister Agnimitra Paul stated that it would not be correct to solely blame the paint or jump to hasty conclusions. Mentioning her own experience, she said that on her way back from Kolkata, she had witnessed a road accident near a national hospital where the road had no special paint on it. Many accidents have happened in the past due to bad roads as well.
Despite this, keeping public interest and people's safety in mind, prompt action has been taken in consultation with Kolkata Police and KMDA engineers. Wherever complaints of slipperiness have been received on the bridges, engineering teams are being sent to correct technical faults.
From Asansol to Kolkata: Multifaceted Use of CSR Funds Across the State
Apart from Kolkata, the state government has undertaken major beautification plans through CSR funds in major cities like Howrah, Siliguri, and Asansol as well. High-level meetings have been held with representatives of leading industry and trade organizations such as CREDAI, Indian Chamber of Commerce, CII, and Bengal Chamber of Commerce.
According to this plan, greenery will be developed on the dividers of major roads of the city, garbage-free and dark spaces under flyovers will be illuminated, and urban water bodies will be modernized.
Indoor Games Infrastructure Under Flyovers
Special spaces have also been kept for the recreation of city dwellers in this new vision of the Urban Development Department. Minister Agnimitra Paul stated that there are plans to secure and beautify the currently unused and vacant spaces lying beneath various large flyovers in the city.
It has been proposed to arrange indoor games like table tennis, carrom, and chess in these spaces so that common people or the younger generation can enjoy these facilities after a busy working life. For maintenance purposes, the introduction of a minimal membership fee in some cases is also under consideration.
Conclusion
While the government's initiative to make the city world-class and visually appealing is commendable, experts opine that it should not become a safety hazard for the commuting public in any way. Policies need to be formulated by maintaining a balance between beautification and road safety. It remains to be seen whether these projects will maintain higher scientific and engineering standards while avoiding political controversy.
