Mechanics hit jackpot as crumbling roads, flooded stretches take toll on cars & bikes
With Kolkata reeling under heavy monsoon showers and crumbling roads, garages and local mechanics have hit a seasonal jackpot. The waterlogged and battered stretches are causing widespread damage to vehicles, forcing motorists to seek repairs. The sale of helmets has also surged.
Some of the city's busiest roads, like Central Avenue, MG Road, BB Ganguly Street, stretches of Bypass, Park Circus connector, and the Pragati Maidan area, are and most battered and are proving especially rough on vehicles.
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Garage owners along the Ruby-Science City stretch and along the Belgachhia-Bangur stretch have also witnessed a sharp rise in customers.
"We used to repair eight or 10 bikes a day. Now it is more than 25. Most problems are related to pothole hits or water damage," said Bittu Rahman, a mechanic with a shop at Janbazar.
Anirban Mukherjee, a medical representative, said, "I slipped, landing in a waterlogged pothole. Repairs to my scooter cost Rs 3,000," he said.
KMC has come under fire over deteriorating road conditions but blamed the rain for delays. "Repair is impossible when it rains every day," said an official.
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