Quote:
Originally Posted by Redeemer8 All of us have been sharing their horrifying experiences of NH-34 repeatedly. It is clear that this route is non-motorable to the extent that all private AC buses plying between Kolkata-Siliguri have been suspended since long, the couple of other regular buses which were plying in this route have also decided to discontinue their services until situation improves citing heavy vehicle maintenance costs.
I'm also eagerly looking forward to a detailed update on the present scenario between Dumka/Bhagalpur by Babuda who is expected to return back to Kolkata after vacation on 20 Oct 13. |
Hi guys, got back from Bhutan yesterday i.e. 20/10. Took the Nivedita Setu, NH 2, Gushkara, Bolpur, Purandarpur, Siuri, Tilpara, Massanjore, Dumka, Bhagalpur, Purnea & Dalkhola route to Siliguri. The road conditions are exactly as described below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sutripta Hi,
Used this road this week (returning).
Till Siuri, it is the usual. The Bhedia underpass is still a problem for small cars. But then small cars can take the road next to the railway stn.
The roads in Jharkhand are now really good. Even the Pattabadi to Dumka section. Most of the bridges are done, though unfortunately not the approaches! Sometimes the diversion seems more enticing.
Roads in Bihar have deteriorated. Esp. around Bhagalpur. Bhagalpur itself is a mess. Bhagalpur to NH31 is bad.
Islampur section remains what it is.
Toll road section normally good, but with unexpected potholes.
Vaibhab Motel is fully functional now. (Fooding and Lodging).
Regards
Sutripta |
Onward journey Day 1:
Kolkata to Bolpur was a breeze. The Bhedia underpass was flooded so we had to take the road next to the railway station and of course you have to be a little careful while negotiating the so called bridge after the Sriniketan Junction. There are intermittent potholes on the road from Bolpur to Siuri. We encountered a huge snarl before the Siuri Level Crossing and were stuck there for around 15 minutes before an elderly local driver at the wheels of an Ambassador guided us through interiors roads on to NH 60. From there the road to Seorakuri More was so so. Once we crossed into Jharkhand, the roads to my surprise were excellent. However, Bihar was a different story. The Dumka - Bhagalpur section had potholes and broken culverts; road conditions deteriorated post Dumka and after entering Bihar I was frankly taken aback at the state of the roads in this part of the state. The road just prior to entering Bhagalpur, the roads inside the town itself and the exit right up to the end of Vikramshila Setu Road just before joining NH 31 is in shambles. Crossing Bhagalpur Town (till the start of Vikramshila Setu) took us around 15 mins. Once on NH 31, the road to Purnea was excellent. We broke journey in Purnea as we had planned to leave for Bagdogra in the morning to pick up my friend and his family from the airport before continuing to Phuntshoeling.
Time taken:
Kolkata - Burdwan: 1 hr 30 mins
Breakfast break at Burdwan: 15 mins
Burdwan - Bolpur: 1 hr 30 mins
Bolpur - Massanjore: 2 hrs (including 15 mins delay at the Siuri Level Crossing)
View Break at Massanjore: 15 mins
Massanjore - Dumka: 40 mins
Dumka - Bhagalpur: 2 hrs 30 mins
Diesel top up at Bhagalpur: 5 mins
Bhagalpur - Purnea (Bus Stand): 2 hrs
Purnea(Bus Stand) - Purnea (Hotel Centre Point): 15 mins
Total: Kolkata to Purnea - 11 hrs door to door
Onward journey Day 2:
The Purnea to Dalkhola section was very good. A large part of the toll section however had the top surface peeling off and we had to keep to the extreme right to maintain speed. Islampur was crowded but not too bad. The approach to and exit from Bagdogra is badly potholed. Bagdogra to Phuntshoeling was via the Sevoke, Oodlabari, Malbazar, Chalsa, Binnaguri, Madarihat, Hasimara, Jaigaon route. Madarihat to Hasimara is still potholed but is manageable. Moreover, there are gaps between the bad stretches, evidence of patch repairs having being carried out in the worst sections.
Time taken:
Purnea - Bagdogra Airport: 2 hrs 15 mins
Bagdogra Airport arrival(waiting): 15 mins
Breakfast break at City Dhaba (a little before reaching Darjeeling More): 45 mins
Darjeeling More - Phuntshoeling: 3 hr 15 mins
Total: Purnea Hotel to Phuntshoeling Hotel(Orchid) via Bagdogra Airport- 6 hrs 30 mins
I'll leave out the Bhutan section in this thread and describe the return journey.
Return journey Day 1:
Phuntshoeling (Hotel Orchid) - Purnea (Hotel Centre Point) exact reverse of the route taken while going: 7 hrs including a leisurely 1 hr lunch break at Dalkhola + heavy traffic and rain.
Return journey Day 2:
Purnea - Dumka again a reverse of the route taken while going: 5 hrs including a 5 min diesel top up stop at Bhagalpur. This time it took us around 30 mins to cross Bhagalpur Town from the end of Vikramshila Setu.
From Dumka we decided to try out a new route as I wanted to visit my cousin in Asansol. We took the Dumka - Jamtara road and turned towards Asansol from Bagdaha More and continued towards our destination via Nala, a distance of approx. 95 kms. The first 60 kms in Jharkhand took us 1 hr 15 mins. The balance 35 km of the road which is in Bengal and ends bang opposite Jubilee Petrol Pump on NH 2 on the Asansol Bypass took us 1 hr 30 mins! My cousin later informed me that I should have continued on the Dumka - Jamtara road, turned off on to the Chittaranjan - Asansol road and then joined NH 2. Even though the route is longer, it would probably have saved us some time.
Total time taken from Purnea (Hotel Centre Point) to Asansol (Gopalpur): 7 hrs 45 mins
Return journey Day 3:
Asansol - Kolkata: I was shocked at the deterioration of the road surface on the stretch between Asansol and Panagarh. Top surface peeled off, frequent potholes, deep furrows created by truck tires and no signs of maintenance whatsoever. Thankfully there was no traffic jam in Panagarh. Post Panagargh the road is as smooth as silk.
Time taken from Asansol (Gopalpur) to Kolkata (Home - Central Kolkata): 4 hrs 15 mins including a 15 min coffee break at CCD at the HP Pump near Singur. The usual time taken from Kolkata - Asansol is around 3 hrs 30 mins. The extra 30 mins can be attributed to the bad road condition between Asansol and Panagarh.
Regards,
Babuda