Kolkata, May 26 (PTI) Kolkata Traffic Police has gone back in time and is using hand held signals and batons to regulate the rush of vehicles that have returned to the city's roads post Cyclone Amphan.

The practice was prevalent over two decades ago and the change to the old ways was necessitated in places where a number of traffic signal posts were uprooted in the extremely severe cyclone that pounded the city on May 20.

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The old practice will be followed for the time being until the traffic signal posts are made operational again, Kolkata Police Deputy Commssioner (Traffic) Rupesh Kumar said on Tuesday.

According to Kumar, about 250 traffic signal posts have been uprooted in and around the city causing much problem for the force to man the traffic.

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"There are several posts which have been uprooted entirely. The power connections and the signalling system have been badly damaged. We have taken up the manual system to manage the traffic," Kumar told PTI when contacted.

The signalling system has been damaged at crucial traffic points across the city like Southern Avenue, Golpark, Alipore Road, Lalbati, Bhowanipore, Jadavpur, Behala, Garia, Gariahat traffic, BB Ganguly Street and Sinthi More, another senior official of the traffic department said.

"In most areas there is problem of electricity supply because of the devastation wrecked by Cyclone Amphan. We have to restore the traffic signalling posts. But for the time being we have taken up hand signalling and hand-held batons to man the traffic," he said.

Traffic signalling was introduced in the city in a phased manner since the mid-1990s.

"As the lockdown is on there is less vehicular movement on the city's roads. That is making our job less tough," the official said.

Kumar said that the work to restore the signalling system is on and till it is completed traffic in and around the city will be managed manually.

"The restoration process will take some time. We cannot say how long it will take but until then we will have to do the signalling work manually," he said.

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