The stretch, till the Bondel gate flyover, is lined with a number of craters and open culverts, manholes and drains. Besides, there are pockets of slush, thanks to the drainage revamp work, making driving down the stretch risky. "Vehicles often skid and fall into the open drains," said Mohammed Hossain, a resident.

The road falls on the routes of a number of minibuses, school buses, cars and taxis.

Officialspeak: "The stretch will be restored once the drainage revamp work, under Calcutta Environment Improvement Project, is over," said a senior civic engineer.

James Long Sarani
Popularly known as Behala bypass, the 6-km artery is mostly unmotorable because of a series of potholes often filled with slush and stretches dug up during the drainage revamp work. Among the most risky spots on the road are 29 Pally crossing, Roy Bahadur Road-James Long Sarani intersection, Chowrasta crossing and the ones in front of National Gems Higher Secondary School and the State Bank of India branch.

"Once I had a close shave near the Roy Bahadur Road crossing when my car tripped after hitting a pothole. The car was packed with students at that time," said Rabi Mullick, who drives a pool car.

The students of six other schools -- Orient Day School, MP Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School, Behala Girls School, Barisha High School, Gurukul Vidyamandir and Vivekananda Mission School (Joka) -- use the stretch regularly.

The situation could have been slightly better had there been a divider from Taratala till the Chowrasta crossing.

Officialspeak: "We will inspect the stretch. If needed, we will certainly try and start repairs after monsoon," said a PWD official.