The efforts of civic authorities to make Bhubaneswar smart ahead of Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018 in November this year is being questioned as residents and commuters in the city are still deprived of basic amenities. If the city is experiencing urban flooding for last two years, poor condition of major roads is another issue which has remained unaddressed for over a decade. The City Express brings you some of these arterial roads, which need immediate repair and maintenance
Baramunda service road
The poor condition of service road along National Highway (NH 16) at Baramunda clearly exposes the apathy of the government and civic administration. At least 1,000 buses use Barmuda Bus terminal. They ply on this road to reach the Highway over bridge. Despite being aware of the poor conditions of the road, the concerned agencies including the Public Works Department and city development authorities have chosen to sit quite.
Palasuni-Rasulgarh stretch
The approach road from Palasuni to Rasulgarh along NH -16 flyover presents the poor condition of roads in the city. Despite being the entrance road to the city, the service roads in the stretch are yet to be repaired. Several accidents have taken place on the stretch. No steps have been taken to address the problem. The Rasulgarh flyover was opened in 2016. However, neither the State Government nor the civic authorities have taken substantial measures to expand the narrow roads. Road side encroachments still remains a major hurdle to which the civic authorities appear to have turned a blind eye.
Rasulgarh-Bomikhal stretch
One of the major thoroughfare of the city, this stretch on Cuttack-Puri road is perhaps the worst one in the entire city. Apart from the snail-paced Bomikhal road over bridge (ROB) work and irregular parking, road filled with potholes turns nightmarish for commuters especially during evening. Also, a part of this stretch always remains water logged during monsoon. The condition of the road has worsened further after trenches were dug up for underground cabling work. The road needs repair.
Shishu Bhawan to Airport road
Despite being used by VIPs, the condition of this road has remained poor for years. Though the repair work of the road is done on a regular interval, it has never been seen without potholes.
Khandagiri Square
The condition of NH-16 and the service roads at Khandagiri also bear the brunt of administrative apathy. Lack of proper planning has led to massive road-jam in the stretch forcing commuters to face a lot of problem. The stretch is also one of most accident prone areas in the city. While steps are yet to be taken to repair the service roads and address traffic woes, a proposed flyover that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had decided to build at Khandagiri Square on the NH-5 is also hanging fire.