Kolkata, Oct 14 Videos of motorbikes skidding on a newly painted rainbow-coloured stretch of road here went viral on Wednesday, raising safety concerns and triggering a row as opposition parties and environmentalists questioned the suitability of the paints used for road surfaces.
The West Bengal government has painted several road surfaces in the city in bright colours on the usual black pitch or asphalt.
State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul said the Gariahat flyover in south Kolkata, the Chingrighata flyover in the east, and a stretch of Red Road in the city centre had been painted in rainbow colours, “keeping safety guidelines in mind”.
“Alpana”, a traditional Bengali decorative art, has also been drawn near the Park Circus seven-point crossing and the Gariahat flyover to beautify the city and promote its heritage, Paul told reporters.
These paints will wear off in a few months, the minister said.
Dashcam videos showed bikers skidding on the rainbow-coloured road, which was wet due to rain, on the Chingrighata flyover went viral during the day. However, the authenticity of the videos could not be confirmed by PTI.
Opposition Congress, Mamata AITC and CPI(M) raised questions about the safety implications of the beautification initiative being undertaken ahead of Durga Puja, the first major festival season since the BJP came to power in West Bengal.
“The freshly painted flyover has turned into a death trap, with bikes skidding and accidents occurring at the very first spell of rain,” the Mamata AITC said in a post on X, demanding accountability from Paul.
“The people of Bengal deserve safe roads, not dangerous infrastructure,” it added, attaching the video clips.
State Congress general secretary Ashutosh Chatterjee also wrote to Paul and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Commissioner and Administrator Smita Pandey, flagging potential road safety hazards associated with painting carriageways with conventional paints.
In his letter, Chatterjee maintained that glossy paints should not be used indiscriminately on surfaces meant for motor vehicle traffic, as they could reduce tyre grip and increase the likelihood of skidding.
CPI(M) leader Partha Pratim Biswas also criticised the painting of flyover roads.
This “is against road safety rules and violates the principles of road construction by using shiny glossy paint particles when it endangers the lives of motorists and bikers, particularly during rain,” he added.
Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh told PTI that any move to beautify the city was welcome, but such paints should not be allowed on motorable roads.
Ghosh said he had written to both Paul and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on the matter.
“I am worried; glossy oil paint on a motorable road is dangerous and should not be allowed. You can never paint the whole wheel-track area with ordinary house paint,” he told PTI.
“Painting can also conceal potholes, increasing the risk to road users,” he said, adding that peeling paint could soon leave the stretches looking unattractive rather than enhancing the city’s appearance.
Roads in the country are marked using paints in accordance with the Indian Roads Congress’s IRC:35-2015, the official Code of Practice for Road Markings (Second Revision), Ghosh said.
Glossy or oil paints should be avoided because they have very low skid resistance, the environmental expert said.
“Gloss forms a smooth film. When wet with water, oil or diesel, the coefficient of friction drops to a very low level. Two-wheelers and cars will skid,” he said.
The coefficient of friction on a road is the ratio of the frictional force resisting a vehicle’s tyre motion to the normal force pressing the tyre against the pavement.
Ghosh said road-marking materials were better substitutes for conventional oil paints because of their technical superiority, longer life and reflective properties.
Specific thermoplastic materials, rather than oil paint, are recommended for road markings on national highways and major roads, he said.
The minister rejected suggestions that the initiative was linked to the LGBTQ+ community or any particular social group. The rainbow flag is a widely recognised symbol of LGBTQ+ pride, diversity, and solidarity.
“These rainbow colours have not been used on Kolkata’s roads with any particular community in mind. We have undertaken this initiative to highlight the city’s heritage, harmony and spirit of togetherness,” she said.
The minister said the work had not been funded with taxpayers’ money and had been carried out with support from firms using their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds.
Environmental and social activist Naba Dutta wondered whether the purpose of painting roads in bright colours had been adequately explained and whether the initiative had sufficiently considered its impact on road users.
(PTI News)
