Covid-19 testing centre for migrant workers at Chichira border on NH6 near Kharagpur

Migrant workers reaching the Chichira interstate border checkpost on NH6 (old number) near Kharagpur in hired buses from distant states are forcibly stopped by West Bengal police at this point in the midst of nowhere and subjected to unprecedented harassment.

The shack with fluttering plastic sheets is West Bengal's unmanned and hitech super-speciality Covid19/ health checkup/testing centre at Chichira border on NH6.

The police themselves are advising the poor/ hapless travellers to leave the buses and start walking to their destination in West Bengal through the forests to avoid waiting for hours for the health checkups to happen.

P.S: It's not clear if roadies in own cars and bikes also need to take a break at the same location, abandon the ride and continue walking.

Video courtesy: An anonymous traveller.

Video date: 2020-05-14.

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* Indian Roadie Covid19 Lockdown Tales

* How India Travels

* Bengal Doomed

* Tsunami Of Development

Malda to Balasore, Malda to Kharagpur - Indian Roadie Preferred Route, Motoring Route, Driving Route, Best Route for road trip

Indian Roadie Preferred Route, Motoring Route, Driving Route, Best Route for road trip from 

Malda (WB) to Balasore (OD) 

(Malda_Balasore), 

Malda to Kharagpur 

(Malda_Kharagpur): 

Option 1:
Malda - Moregram - Berhampore - Bethuadahari - Krishnanagar - Ranaghat - Chakdaha - WBUT/ Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology campus (on right) - Borojaguli (exit NH12 and turn right) - Drive straight  for 9 kms to reach Kampa More - Turn left and drive on Kalyani Expressway upto Sodepur crossing - Exit Kalyani Expressway, turn right and drive upto Sodepur crossing on BT Road - Turn left and drive on BT Road upto Dunlop Bridge crossing - Exit BT Road, turn right on PWD Road towards Alampur - Cross Nivedita Setu over Hooghly River - Keep left and start driving on NH16 - Dhulagarh toll plaza - Bridge over Rupnarayan River - Kolaghat - Kharagpur - Jaleshwar - Balasore.

Option 2: 
Malda ---- Moregram ---- Turn right and start driving on NH14 (erstwhile, NH60) ---- Nalhati ---- Rampurhat ---- Mohammed Bazaar ---- Seorakuri More ---- Tilpara Barrage ---- Suri ---- Dubrajpur ---- Illambazar ---- Panagarh (intersection of NH14 and NH19. Turn right) ---- Drive right on NH19 upto Durgapur (Muchipara) ---- Exit NH19 and drive to Durgapur Barrage over Damodar River ---- Barjora ---- Bankura ---- Bishnupur ---- Garbeta ---- Chandrakona Road - Salboni ---- Bridge over Kangshabati River ---- Kharagpur ---- Egra ---- Belda --- Jaleshwar ---- Balasore. 

Kangshabati River Bridge on NH14 (erstwhile, NH60) connecting Kharagpur with Midnapore can collapse any m

Deshpran Birendra Bridge on NH14 (erstwhile, NH60), over Kangshabati River connecting Kharagpur - Midnapore in West Bengal is in a terrible state of disrepair as in September 2018.
Huge chunks of concrete have fallen off from the surface of the long bridge. Unbelievably, huge concrete masses have fallen of from most of the pillars supporting the bridge. The railings are almost non existent. Trees and shrubs have grown on the side walls.

The bridge can collapse any moment!
If this vital road link is cut off, cars/ bikes/ trucks/ buses from entire India located south of Kharagpur (including those from Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Kerala) will have untold misery reaching Durgapur, Asansol, Malda, North Bengal, North Eastern states, Bhutan, etc.
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* Indian Roadie Caution

Mumbai to Kolkata road trip via Nashik, Dhule, Amravati, Nagpur, Raipur, Sambalpur, Angul, Balasore, Kharagpur (Version - 1)

If one intends to drive from Mumbai to Kolkata, the ideal route is via NH3 (upto Dhule), NH6 (upto Sambalpur, Odisha), NH42 (upto Manguli, near Cuttack), NH5 (upto Balasore), NH60 (upto Kharagpur), NH6 (upto Kolkata).

The route via NH3 and NH6 is:
Mumbai - Nashik - Dhule - Khamgaon - Akola - Amravati - Nagpur - Durg - Bhilai - Raipur - Areng - Saraipali - Bargarh - Sambalpur.

Driving distance from:
Mumbai (Gateway of India) - Thane - Igatpuri - Nashik via NH160 (erstwhile, NH3) = 180 kms.
Nashik - Dhule = 160 kms.
Dhule - Jalgaon - Bhusawal - Khamgaon via NH6 (new, NH53) = 220 kms.
Khamgaon - Akola Airport via NH6 = 58 kms.
Akola Airport - Amravati via NH6 = 90 kms.
Amravati - Nagpur (crossing of NH6 and NH7) = 170 kms.





Pune, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Buldana drivers will touch NH6 at Khamgaon.







After reaching Sambalpur, it's best to avoid driving on NH6 via Deogarh, Keonjhar, Baharagora, Chichira, Kharagpur because it's not a pleasant drive through a predominantly double laned road with uneven surface.

From Sambalpur, it's best to follow NH55 (erstwhile, NH42) from Junction with NH6 to Junction with NH16 (erstwhile NH5) at Manguli near Cuttack via Rairakhole - Angul - Dhenkanal bypass - Chowdwar (261 kms).





NH55 (erstwhile, NH42) is mostly good double laned road barring a few sections where it's also four laned.
Strictly avoid driving the Sambalpur - Angul (140 kms) double laned highway which passes through dense forest section after sundown. Facilities are almost non-existent. However, an early morning drive from Sambalpur to Angul is a great feeling with the sunrays peeping through the tall saal trees.



Angul became famous since mid 1980s for Asia's largest Aluminium smelting plant owned by NALCO Ltd, a Government of India enterprise.

From the Manguli crossing of NH55 with NH16, follow NH16 via Manguli toll plaza - Chandikhole - Bhadrak - Soro - Balasore.







From Balasore (Phulwari Chowk) drive on NH60, a newly relaid concrete road via Jaleshwar, upto Kharagpur which is 123 kms away.





Kharagpur to Kolkata is almost entirely six laned NH16.

Day 1: By leaving Mumbai by 4.30am, a sedate driver/ rider should be able to reach Amravati or an additional 100 kms upto Nagpur.
Day 2: Amravati/ Nagpur to Sambalpur .... good hotels are available.
Day 3: Sambalpur to Kolkata (either via Angul, Bhadrak or via Deogarh, Keonjhar, Baharagora).  

Edit: Roadies can drive Mumbai to Kolkata via Pune, Hyderabad, Vizag, Bhubaneswar and follow the map in the link. 

https://indian-roadie.blogspot.com/2020/12/indian-roadie-preferred-route-motoring.html 

Drive to Bangriposi from Kolkata and back in February 2016

Indian Roadie fan/ member, Neeraj Pandey got back from a 841 kms road trip with family from Kolkata to Bangriposi and back in early February 2016.

Route taken during onward journey was Kolkata - Dhulagarh Toll Plaza - Uluberia - Kolaghat - Kharagpur (Exit NH16) - Lodhasuli (ROR: Jhargram) - Baharagora - Jamsola - Jharpokharia - Bangriposi (distance 242 kms).
5 kms between Baharagora to Jamsola had craters within craters.
Time taken to negotiate this stretch was 1 hour. The Ritz managed fairly well with no underbelly scrapes.

Khairi Resort is a big no no. They gave him a room on the first floor. The room was dirty with a strong smell of pee from the loo. He left immediately and checked in to Hotel Bangriposi.
First look at Hotel Bangriposi and there was this thought "Lets go to Ramtirath and stay at Toshali". Incidentally, a couple of years ago, Neeraj had done a JV with the Forest Dept and Toshali Group, 60 kms from Bangriposi going towards Keonjhar at a crocodile breeding centre called Ramtirath.

Hotel Bangriposi was a small building with dirty rooms and absolutely unimpressive. Its only when he went behind that he came across a nice cottage. It was basic but neat, clean and had a good sit out. Neeraj, in any case he carries his own sheets, towels, etc. He decided on staying in the cottage for the entire duration of the trip.
The cottage was kind of a village initiative and it was pretty nice to see children and chickens playing about. The cottage did not have brick walls except for the toilet. The entire structure was straw mats held together with bamboo. There was no AC and summer months will obviously be very hot.

He got woken up in the morning with cock crows and chirping birds. Food was fixed. The menu comprised of a simple chicken dish and rotis for two which cost Rs 300 and breakfast with 2 omelettes and puri and aloo was for Rs 200.
It's a very relaxed place and recommended. However, do remember they have only one cottage.

Return route was Bangriposi - Baripada (36 kms) - Duel - Gopinathpur - Gopiballabhpur - Pheko Ghat (105 Kms) - Jhargram - Kharagpur - Kolkata (Total distance 322 kms).

Neeraj reported that the drive through the countryside of Odisha and West Bengal was pretty interesting. Except one bad stretch of about 1 km, which was nothing compared to Jamsola, it was generally good roads, sometimes quite narrow with no traffic.
This road met NH6 at Pheko Ghat.

During his stay in Bangriposi, Neeraj took two trips Bisoi and back (60kms), one to Ramtirath and back (120 kms) and one on the evening of 12th February 2016 to Baripada and back (72 kms) to see the palace and buy tissue paper.

Hotel Neelkant just after one crosses Kharagpur and before Great India Hotel has good food and extremely clean loos.

6800 kms Indian Beach Drive - Day 1 of 19 (2015-03-18) - Kolkata to Vizag by Deep Banerjee

2015-03-18 - Day 1 - Start of an epic 19 days and 6800 kms long solo Indian Roadie Beach Drive with wife, daughter, brother-in-law and his wife to all five states in South India, Konkan coast of Karnataka, Goa from Kolkata, India in my 2011 Volkswagen Vento TDI. 

Left residence near Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata at 3-45am, with odometer reading showing 22830 kms and tripmeter reading showing 0 kms. 

Daughter Diksha, a big road travel enthusiast is visibly happy. 

Left Ashabari Housing Complex, Baisnabhghata Patuli after picking up my bother-in-law (Anjan da) and his wife at 4.30am. 

Target destination for the day: Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. 

Could reach: Visakhapatnam. 

2015-03-18 - Day 1 of 19 - At 6-07am, cruising over the Rupnarayan River bridge before Kolaghat. On Rupnarayan River bridge, tripmeter reading for the day showed 87 kms (Odometer reading: 22917 kms).

Crossing Sher-E-Punjab Hotel, Kolaghat just across the bridge over River Rupnarayan.

Quite a few flyovers are being constructed on NH6 between Kolaghat and Kharagpur.
This and the adjoining rumbles slowed down my average rolling pace considerably early during Day 1 (2013-05-18). 

West Land Baroma Hospital on NH6 looked clean and bright against the rising sun.

Bartaman publications office on NH6, also looks bright.

Bright and colourful! On NH6, somewhere between Kolaghat and Kharagpur.

Note the quantum of luggage!

2015-03-18 - Day 1 - Me with my 2011 Volkswagen Vento TDI. 

This was the 1st stop on NH60 from 7.35am to 7.40am, 181 kms from flag off, to stretch arms, somewhere near Belda, Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal. 

Balasore is 85 kms and Bhubaneswar 280 kms ahead.