Commuters face traffic disruptions over Murmu’s visit
The Statesman | 31 July 2025
President Droupadi Murmu’s two-day visit to Kolkata has brought large parts of the city to a standstill, with widespread traffic restrictions and road closures causing severe inconvenience to commuters, particularly air passengers.
Several travellers missed or nearly missed flights on Wednesday after heavy traffic congestion was reported on VIP Road near Haldiram and other arterial routes leading to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. Passengers described the situation as “harrowing”, with some stuck in gridlock until just 20 minutes before their scheduled departures.
Police officials said the restrictions were necessary for the President’s security. “Given the high-level security required, we had to impose controlled movement on key roads,” a senior Kolkata Police officer told reporters. The situation is expected to remain the same on Thursday.
President Murmu, who arrived on Wednesday afternoon, travelled from the airport to Kalyani AIIMS and then visited Dakshineswar Temple.
Kolkata Police issued an advisory restricting vehicular movement on several major roads across north and central Kolkata from 4.30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday. These included BT Road, Tala Bridge, Shyambazar, Central Avenue, and key stretches in Esplanade and BBD Bagh. As a result, traffic spilled over to VIP Road and Jessore Road. Further restrictions will be enforced on Thursday between 8.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. along Red Road, RR Avenue, Khidirpur Road, Hospital Road, AJC Bose Road flyover, Maa flyover, EM Bypass, and Durgapur Bridge.
“We have opened up alternate routes and are adjusting access depending on real-time conditions,” said Srikant Jagannathrao Yelawarthi, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), adding that steps are being taken to ensure minimal disruption for office-goers and daily commuters.