PIL In Calcutta High Court Seeks Proper Maintenance Of Roads, Says Potholes & Poor Repairs Affect Citizens' Right To Life

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Calcutta High Court highlighting the urgent need for proper maintenance, repair, and safety measures of the arterial roads, residential roads, flyovers, bridges, and connectors of Kolkata, Howrah, and adjoining municipal areas.

According to the petitioner, Akash Sharma, an Advocate of the Calcutta High Court, over the past years, major arterial roads facing severe deterioration include AJC Bose Road, APC Road, Central Avenue, EM Bypass, Gariahat Road, Rashbehari Avenue, Sarat Bose Road, Diamond Harbour Road, Jessore Road, VIP Road, BT Road, James Long Sarani, MG Road, Raja SC Mullick Road, NSC Bose Road, Prince Anwar Shah Road, Park Street, Camac Street, and JL Nehru Road.

Similarly, several residential and internal roads, such as those in Salt Lake (Sector I, II and III), Lake Gardens, Tollygunge, Behala, Jadavpur, Kasba, Dum Dum, Baguiati, Kestopur, Rajarhat, Howrah, Howrah Maidan, Baranagar, and Madhyamgram, are in an equally deplorable condition.

Furthermore, important flyovers and bridges suffer from either damaged surfaces or poor maintenance, thereby endangering public safety. Key connectors such as Chingrighata Connector, Science City Connector, Park Circus Connector, Kidderpore Connector, and Durgapur Expressway approach roads also face recurring problems of potholes, waterlogging, and inadequate repair.

The petitioner states that the situation is equally deplorable in Howrah, which serves as a critical gateway between Kolkata and the rest of India. Roads such as Dobson Road, GT Road, Howrah Maidan area, Panchanantala Road, Foreshore Road, Andul Road, Belilious Road, Shibpur Road, Liluah, and Kona Expressway are plagued with potholes, traffic bottlenecks, and unsafe conditions. Repeated patchwork repairs have failed to provide any sustainable solution, and the absence of a scientific approach to road repair and maintenance has led to recurring accidents, loss of life, vehicle and property damage, emergency services and prolonged traffic congestion.

The petition emphasises that these issues are not merely civic inconveniences but directly affect the fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution. It calls upon the Court to direct the State and relevant civic bodies to urgently adopt a scientific, transparent, and durable plan for road and flyover maintenance, as well as improved drainage systems, rather than relying on temporary patchwork.

The plea is stated to be heard in the second week of September.