Public transport facilities in some parts of wards 105 and 106, which come under Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's constituency to say the least is poor, especially in the Ramlal Bazar and Garfa areas.

Commuting from this area to any part of the city is a harrowing experience. Firstly, commuters have to take an autorickshaw either to Jadavpur or to Gariahat and then avail buses to their destinations. But this has not been the case always.

With Calcutta State Transport Corporation's (CSTC) decision to withdraw buses from this area, residents have no other alternative but to opt for autorickshaws. With the boom in the IT and ITeS sectors in Kolkata, many out-stationed people have chosen this part of the city for housing purposes, where flats are available at comparatively cheaper rates. However, keeping pace with the ever-increasing population, the transport system has not improved. It has, in fact, dwindled proportionately.

Though the list of buses plying in this area is pretty long, it is hardly of any use to the general public as CSTC buses have stopped plying.

A commuter from this area always has to come to Jadavpur or Gariahat by autorickshaw to avail transport to their destinations be it Esplanade, Howrah, Park Street, B B D Bag or Sealdah. For them, such a journey is not at all cost-effective.

Autos Only Means Of transport
"We are the most dependable means of transport for the residents of this locality," says Bimal Jana, an autorickshaw driver in the Ramlal Bazar stand. However, the locals have a different story to tell. "In order to ensure that autorickshaws are used by the commuters, CSTC buses have been withdrawn. Political parties are behind this," says an elderly teacher who has been residing in the locality for the past 47 years on condition of anonymity. Moreover, the promised connector to Bypass through Kalikapur has not materialised yet due to unknown reasons.

Councillor Speak
Councillor of ward 105, Sunil Chakraborty, said, "CSTC has preferred not to run the old-fashioned ordinary buses. So, they have been withdrawn. It would have been much better if those buses were plying. But there is no dearth of communication as there are plenty of autorickshaws available in the area."
The councillor of ward 106, Dipu Das Thakur, was not available for comment.

Cstc Speak
Director of Operations of CSTC, P K Bhar, said, "I have been posted here recently. But I think bus no. L 1 runs during office hours. It is true that the number of buses have decreased which is a problem for the locals. But the decision to decrease the number of buses was taken because of the diminishing space in Ramlal Bazar area, which has become very congested due to the presence of the autorickshaw stand."