The closure of Tallah Bridge to buses and heavy vehicles caused yet another rejig in the routes of at least 12 private and 11 staterun buses following a meeting between the bus operators and officials of transport and traffic departments at Parivahan Bhawan last evening. The government buses that will follow the new routes are the 20-metre-long vehicles running on routes AC-20, S9A, NS-2, NS-9, and they will be plying along Paikpara-Duttabagan- Belgachia. Additionally, buses plying on routes S-10 and C-51 will be plying along Dum Dum Station-7 Tanks-Northern Avenue and Chiria More-7 Tanks-Northern Avenue routes respectively.

The AC-20 route which is to be operated along the Paikpara- Duttabagan-Belgachia route, has been reshuffled on an experimental basis, according to transport department sources. After observing the operations for a week, the department might divert the bus route through Dunlop- Dankuni-Salap-Kona Expressway to Santragachi. However, commuters taking buses of route AC-34 regularly are likely to be affected the most as the transport department is reportedly considering plans to stop plying the vehicles on this route.

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According to sources, the length of the buses, which are mostly 20 metres long, is posing difficulties at the tight turns along the bus route. Apart from this, the routes of buses operating on the Barrackpore- Howrah, Barrackpore- Madhyamgram, Baidyabati- Kolkata Station, Dankuni to Kamalgaji, Dankuni- Haroah routes run by the State Transport Authority, are also reported to have been realigned. The private buses that are to follow the modified alignment are those running on 201, 202, 214, 222, 230, 214A, 32A, 34B, 34C, 78, S-168, S-161 routes.

The operators of route S-185 buses have been asked to submit proposal for realignment. “Around 27 buses that were earlier taking the Tallah Bridge, had been operating via different routes since 27 September,” said Pradeep Nayan Bose of North Kolkata Bus Mini Bus Owners’ Association. “However, following yesterday’s meeting, the modified alignments in these routes are to be implemented from tomorrow.”