Gurgaon’s vehicular traffic mess has achieved cult status on social media - and Bhubaneswar, in its own way, is following suit. The state capital, once known for easy commuting, is fast becoming notorious for painful congestion, with crawling traffic turning daily life into a misery for its residents.
Be it Rasulgarh square, the Vani Vihar-Acharya Vihar stretch, or the Jayadev Vihar-Nandankanan route, commuting has become a nightmarish experience. Along NH-16 towards Khurda, it’s the same familiar story - as is the case in the Old Town area. Not just the city roads, even the clogged NH-16 has added to the woes of the denizens. Sometimes, the bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack and Cuttack-Puri bypasses resembles that of the Delhi-NCR region. And if it’s raining, traffic often grinds to a complete halt. With Dussehra and the long festive season approaching, residents are already bracing for a harrowing experience.
Poor traffic governance
What’s appalling is the pathetic state of traffic governance and day-to-day management by the Commissionerate Police, which seems more interested in making arrangements for VVIP movements. For common commuters, neither the police nor the Transport department seems to care. On some days, covering the short distance from Vani Vihar to Acharya Vihar takes no less than 20 minutes due to crawling traffic.
“Blocking traffic movement for political leaders and giving passage to convoys seems to be the only responsibility of such agencies. The other day, I was on my way from Sikharchandi towards Raghunathpur and was astonished to see the chock-a-block road being managed by private security personnel, not the traffic police,” recalled an IT professional who commutes daily.
The massive traffic jams on NH-16, which cuts through the city, are mainly caused by inter-state buses that stop even on flyovers to pick up passengers. Private buses stopping abruptly on flyovers near the Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology in Acharya Vihar, and on NH stretches near Satsang Vihar, Rasulgarh, Palasuni and other areas, not only block traffic but also pose serious safety risks. Yet, bus drivers seem to call the shots.
While arterial roads are overwhelmed due to poor traffic management, the situation in the lanes and bylanes leading to major residential areas is even worse, with local police stations barely paying attention. A drive through Saheed Nagar, Jayadev Vihar, IRC Village, Patia, Lewis Road, Old Town, Khandagiri, Dumduma, and Aiginia reveals how poor supervision and management have taken their toll.
Over the last year, traffic management in the capital has witnessed a sharp decline in quality and standards. The primary reasons are obvious. Bhubaneswar has expanded significantly - geographically and demographically. With population growth comes increased housing, vehicle ownership, and parking needs. However, poor road design, minimal planning for evacuation and traffic flow and a lack of enforcement have added to the chaos.
What has worsened the situation is the gradual decline in enforcement by police and transport officials. This has encouraged increased encroachment by autorickshaws, vendors and illegally parked buses - especially during critical hours. Every evening, Rasulgarh becomes a choke point as buses, autorickshaws and wrong-side drivers clog the area. Emboldened by the complete absence of enforcement, autorickshaw drivers freely switch lanes, dangerously overtake and halt abruptly to pick up passengers.
Some of the worst-affected stretches include KIIT Square to Jayadev Vihar, Jayadev Vihar to Rasulgarh, Janpath from Vani Vihar to Rajmahal Square, AG square to Kalpana square and Rasulgarh to Rabi Talkies square.
Illegal parking
Bumper-to-bumper traffic has become a daily affair, thanks to illegal parking and footpath encroachments by street vendors. For instance, Cuttack-Puri road is dotted with car accessories showrooms - many of which lack dedicated parking. Janpath, lined with major showrooms, suffers from similar congestion. During Dussehra and Diwali, this stretch turns into a commuter’s nightmare.
Across Bhubaneswar, pedestrian walkways have been overtaken by shops, vendors and parked vehicles. What was once identified as a dedicated cycle track has now disappeared completely from the face of the capital.
Amid all this, Commissionerate Police seems to have turned a blind eye to the chaos. With hardly any physical checking, there’s little deterrent for errant drivers. Wrong-side driving has emerged as a major menace, while helmet enforcement is nearly nonexistent. Previously, surprise checks and random enforcement helped curb violations. Over the past year, however, such efforts have virtually vanished - barring a few routine checkpoints. As a result, traffic violations have risen sharply.
Declining enforcement
With lax enforcement, both Bhubaneswar and Cuttack have seen a surge in violations. Two-wheeler riders, among the most vulnerable to accidents, face heightened risk due to the lack of helmet enforcement - reflected in the rising number of mishaps, many fatal. Other violations are also rampant. On average, police issue between 1,200 and 1,500 challans daily in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for offences such as riding without helmets, triple riding, over-speeding and using mobile phones while driving. A major reason behind this surge is the over-reliance on ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras, with physical checks taking a back seat. Previously, weekend checks against drunk driving were regularly conducted along stretches with high concentrations of bars and pubs. These special drives once helped curb nighttime anti-social activities - but are now conspicuously absent.
Traffic DCP of Bhubaneswar, Tapan Mohanty, however, asserted that vigorous enforcement is being carried out in the city against major traffic violations. “There have been instances where violators misbehaved with traffic personnel and insisted on being issued e-challans. Physical checking is still happening to some extent, but there are over 1,800 CCTV cameras through which violations are detected and e-challans issued,” he said.
Still, with little visible enforcement, road accidents and fatalities are on the rise. Between January and June, around 729 road accidents were reported under Bhubaneswar Urban Police District (UPD).
Experts say that delays in implementing long-term road safety measures - such as black spot rectification and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure - continue to contribute to rising fatalities in the city.
Meanwhile, anticipating heavy traffic during the upcoming festive season, police are considering diverting heavy vehicles from Pitapalli in Bhubaneswar and via Balikuda in Cuttack. Additionally, police are planning to restrict private buses from using service roads during the festive season.