Slushy tech route makes commute difficult
The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is undertaking a project to set up a water distribution network to supply filtered water across several wards in the Rajarhat-Gopalpur area. One side of the Jagatpur Market Road stretch has been dug up for this project. To add to woes, the long pipes have stacked up on the sides of the road, along with construction materials, which has made the stretch narrower.
Locals said that they were getting stranded for nearly an hour to cover the 1km stretch.
"The dug-up section has turned muddy, while the remaining portion is struggling to handle regular traffic flow. This is resulting in massive traffic chaos as it is taking almost an hour to move on the road during peak office hours," said Pratyush Mondal, a local.
You Can Also Check:
Kolkata AQI
|
Weather in Kolkata
|
Bank Holidays in Kolkata
|
Public Holidays in Kolkata
"The situation has become such that taxis and app-based cabs are refusing to ply to our area. A few days back, my wife had to take our daughter to the hospital due to a medical emergency, but the cab drivers were refusing to enter our locality to pick them up, citing poor road conditions.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Beyond Text Generation: An AI Tool That Helps You Write Better
Grammarly
Install Now
Undo
We do not know for how long this plight will continue," said a resident of a housing complex adjacent to the road.
Garbage piling up in different places along the road is further narrowing the road space.
BMC officials said that work to lay the pipelines was underway and that they were trying to minimise the commuters' inconvenience as much as possible. "Work is being conducted during the night, and traffic volunteers have been placed at specific points of the road to see that traffic snarls do not go out of hands," said a civic official.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
Why is the Moon affectionately called Chanda Mama in India
Throughout the ages, the moon has always captivated human beings with its mysterious charm and glow in the night sky, serving as a symbol of hope, rebirth, and rhythm. The Moon has been a part of it all, be it myths, legends, rituals or calendars, ever since the childhood of a baby by influencing how we pray, and how we dream. In India, the moon isn't just a celestial body, but a deity, a symbol of royalty, and a storyteller in the sky. Children still call it Chanda-mama, the maternal uncle who visits often but never stays long. But have you ever thought about why it is called by this name? What is the legendary story of the Moon The moon has long been a symbol of resurrection in Indian mythology. As per legend, Chandra, the moon-god, was cursed with a wasting disease because he favoured only one of his 27 wives, the lunar constellations or nakshatras. According to another legendary version, he eloped with Tara, the wife of Brihaspati (Jupiter), causing a divine outrage. In both tales, Chandra began to wane and feared he would vanish forever. In desperation, he turned to Lord Shiva for help. It is explained in a Puranic lore that Shiva holds the Ganga in his matted hair and Ganga is the river believed to grant rebirth. 'If Shiva can give the dead another chance at life, he surely can resurrect the waning moon,' writes mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik in one of his essays. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas Prices In Dubai Might Be More Affordable Than You Think Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Quote Undo Shiva appeared before Chandra at Somnath, Gujarat, and placed him in his hair-knot, enabling him to wax again. Since then, the moon has been called Soma, symbolizing regeneration and hope. The Moon has long been associated with empires The symbolism of the Moon also has a place among the warriors. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the 17th-century Maratha king, wore the crescent moon, or chandra-kor, on his forehead. It served as a visual reminder of freedom and resilience. 'It was meant to inspire people never to give up on the idea of freedom (swarajya), to remind all that after the dark night of the new moon, the waxing begins,' writes Pattanaik. The crescent moon is also associated with Islam, seen on the flags of Pakistan and Turkey. But it was not originally a religious symbol but an imperial one, used by the Ottomans after they conquered Byzantium in the 15th century. The crescent represented the founder, Osman's dream of an empire stretching across the world. Moon symbolism goes deeper in Indian lore. Chandragupta Maurya's name, according to Jain tradition, comes from his mother's desire to drink moonlight-infused water. Chanakya fulfilled it by offering the water bathed in moonlight. Why is the Moon called ' Chanda Mama ' Indian kings often traced their lineage to the moon or Soma-vamsa and the sun or Surya-vamsa. The Ramayana is the tale of the solar dynasty, while the Mahabharata follows the lunar. Interestingly, Lord Ram, who belonged to the Solar lineage, is called 'Ram-chandra'. It is that he was fond of the moon. According to Pattanaik, he would not sleep until his mother showed him the reflection of the moon in a pot of water and saw the moon as his mother's brother. That's why, just like Ram, even today we lovingly call the moon Chanda-mama—the dear uncle who visits his sister often, but never stays too long. The name 'maas' is also associated with the Moon Linguists believe the word maas (month) doesn't come from Sanskrit but from the Munda tribes, whose women called the moon maa. So a full moon became poorna-maa, and a new moon, a-maa. Art also immortalizes the moon-god riding a chariot pulled by deer or geese, holding a rabbit or Shasha. As per the Jataka tales, that rabbit was the Buddha in a previous life, who sacrificed himself for a hungry man. The gods rewarded him with a place on the moon, making him Shashank, the rabbit-marked moon.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
How a Kerala village beat alcoholism with the game of chess
Marottichal, Kerala – Half a century ago, this forest-fringed village in northern Kerala was best known for something far less noble than strategy and sportsmanship: bootleg liquor and backdoor gambling dens. Today, it holds an Asian record for the highest number of people playing chess simultaneously. The transformation wasn't driven by policy, policing, or public shame—but by a quiet revolution on a chequered board, started by a teenager with a fascination for Bobby Fischer. Back in the 1970s, C. Unnikrishnan, now fondly known as 'Chess Maaman,' was just 16 when he discovered the American grandmaster. Hooked instantly, he travelled to nearby towns to learn the Indian precursor chaturanga and modern chess. Years later, he returned to his hometown, which was then drowning in alcoholism, to open a modest teashop. But it wasn't just cups of chai that Unnikrishnan was serving. He brought with him the board and the game he had grown to love. And as illicit brewing threatened to crush families, he began teaching his customers chess—offering them not just entertainment, but a distraction, a discipline, and ultimately, a lifeline. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Read more: Crime index 2025: 10 least safe countries in the world; check full list There was little space to play outdoor sports, as there were rubber plantations all around, Unnikrishnan once explained. But since a chessboard fits anywhere, that became our playground, he added. At the time, the villagers had also formed the Madhya Nirodhana Samiti, a grassroots anti-alcohol movement. With women of the village secretly informing on brewers and gamblers, and Unnikrishnan introducing chess as a replacement high, the change came swiftly and deeply. Today, chess boards form an integral part of this place. The village bus stop isn't bustling with commuters, but spectators watching roadside matches. Drivers play against conductors before their shifts. Shopkeepers challenge customers between sales. On Sunday evenings, Unnikrishnan's home is filled to the brim with neighbours, shoulders brushing, eyes locked on boards scattered across benches, verandas, and floors. Read more: Old-school India: 6 places that are pure vintage vibes A recent local survey revealed that two-thirds of Marottichal's 6,000 residents play chess daily. This renaissance isn't limited to adults. At the local primary school, rows of children huddle over chessboards during recess. Many of them learned the game in under a week and insisted on bringing boards from home to practice. The local association is now pushing for chess to be introduced into the official school curriculum. Despite Kerala's progressive but often contentious liquor policy, villagers here believe they've found their own solution. The village's commitment has even caught the eye of international visitors, from Germany to the United States, keen to experience this grassroots model of reform. If there is any doubt that technology might erase this culture, you will easily get to see a group of teens absorbed in their devices, only to reveal they're locked in online chess battles. In Marottichal, the game isn't over. In fact, it's just getting started.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
BMC to speed up drain, road works on city stretch after prod by citizen reporters
Advt Advt The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to expedite drain and road construction on the stretch between Mangala Mandir Square and an apartment in Nayapalli 's Behera Sahi area after citizen reporters flagged concerns about its poor had expressed concerns about piled-up soil, protruding iron rods and concrete plates occupying the carriageway, with rains making the situation worse for commuters."During the peak of the monsoon season , the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation is undertaking road and drain construction , leading to significant construction debris and obstructions on the roads. The digging and accumulation of soil are making the roads slippery, especially with the rainfall. If urgent measures are not implemented, it could result in accidents," wrote Bisworanjan Dash on TOI's Citizen Reporter construction is going on, the around 500-metre stretch with remnants of removed drain covers and stagnant water along the under-construction road has turned into a safety hazard for pedestrians and the problem, citizen reporter Rudra Narayan Jena from Chadrasekharpur, wrote, "The numerous drain construction projects currently underway in Bhubaneswar have significantly disrupted daily life. Roads have been excavated, and the resulting clay makes them dangerously slippery. It seems the BMC could have planned these projects more effectively. Ideally, they should have been completed before the peak rainy season or scheduled to start after the rains."Behera Sahi spans from Gate 1 of Kalinga Stadium on one side to the Iskcon Temple on the other. In between, the internal roads either are pothole-filled, narrow or construction has been going on for a long Sulochana Das said she has instructed the works department to expedite the construction."I know the ongoing work is causing a little inconvenience. I told the officer concerned to fix it. There were several issues, including encroachment, which delayed road work on the stretch. Unless the drain work is finished, the road can't be constructed. So, it got delayed. But people will be relieved as measures will be taken to resolve the issues," Das told TOI.
