KOLKATA: The Bailey bridges that opened on Friday emerged as the shortest route for Behala residents keen on visiting Pujas in other parts of the city on Saturday. Hundreds of cars journeyed across the bridges and over the railway tracks to view pandals at Kumartuli, Hatibagan, Ultadanga and Dum Dum Park.“When the bridge collapsed a month ago, we had all but given up hope of travelling out of Behala to see the pandals elsewhere. True, some of the finest pujas in terms of theme are in Behala itself, but Durga Puja offers us an opportunity to step out to the north and north-east that we otherwise seldom visit during the rest of the year. The opening of the Bailey bridges in record time has made the impossible happen,” said Sayantani Dey, who lives off Behala Chowrasta.Artist Bhabatosh Sutar took the Bailey bridges on Saturday and acknowledged that it was a huge help. He did get stuck at the level crossing for 10 minutes, but it was better than what he used to experience earlier. “This is a dream come true for those who love to travel across the city and enjoy the pandals. Personally, it will allow me to fix meetings that had become impossible to schedule in the past month,” he said.The wait at the level crossing that ranges anywhere between 6-12 minutes, however, stretches in the evenings when the traffic rush increases. While the wait is lower for an EMU local, it stretches to twice as much when a goods train passes. When a goods train and a local pass in succession, like it did on Saturday evening, the wait stretched to 14 minutes.While the wait isn’t much of a bother for pandal-hoppers, for those who have to cross the stretch multiple times in a day, it is a pain. “The longer the wait at the level crossing, the longer becomes the queue of cars. During office hours after Puja, the roads that lead to the level crossing could get choked,” said Subhadeep Ghosh, an IT professional heading to Park Street.The level crossing could turn into an irritant for train commuters as well since the heavy flow of vehicles delays the closure of the boom barrier . “The rush of cars is so high that trains are forced to wait longer than usual at Majherhat and New Alipore stations. Most of the trains are now overcrowded and any additional wait is unbearable,” said Samrat Banerjee, a daily passenger.

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