Caught in a spiral of never-ending projects, Janpath - the main road of Bhubaneswar’s central business district - is now gasping for breath. The Smart Janpath Project which is supposed to redevelop a 5.8 km stretch of this route has not even crossed the halfway mark.The project was initially held up due to Hockey World Cup last year and subsequently, got stuck because of the general elections. Then came cyclone Fani which left public infrastructure in the City in tatters adding to further delay.
Now, cut up at multiple places on either side, overflowing with vehicular traffic, on-street parking, there is no end to misery on Janpath. First things first. The Smart Janpath project, executed by Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) since April 2017, envisages transformation of the 5.8 km stretch into a smart and model roadway in the Capital.
Projects for future
The project includes construction of public plazas (hangout zones) with sitting arrangements and lighting at eight different locations, including Sishu Bhawan Square, Master Canteen, Rupali Square and Vani Vihar; a non-motorised transport zone comprising 11-km-long footpath and cycle track on both sides of the road.
It also aims redevelopment of storm-water channel, redevelopment of vending zones with smart vending kiosks, public realms/multi-utility zones with street furniture for public use. Besides, there is under-ground cabling work of Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) to get rid of electric poles and wires dangling dangerously on Janpath.
Things that would make Janpath really smart include, sensor based on-street parking facility and surveillance systems. Plans are afoot for on-street parking to be regulated through sensors. An app will be developed to allow citizens to book parking space on the road. A robust surveillance system is on the cards which would be controlled from Bhubaneswar Operation Centre.
There is more. Around 100 CCTVs will be installed at 25 different locations along the stretch to monitor traffic as well as facilities developed along the stretch to make things more organised.The project which looks at future, however, is lagging behind its deadlines. City-based RKD Constructions Private Limited has been engaged as project contractor, while EGIS India Consulting Engineers Ltd and Bhubaneswar Urban Knowledge Centre (BUKC) are the Programme Management Consultants.
The project works (including OPTCL underground cabling) for which the government earmarked Rs 276.35 crore was supposed to be completed within 24 months but delay in timely execution of work on different components has forced revision of its deadline to November 2020.
As per the original plan, the project was supposed to be taken up in five phases on Shishu Bhawan-Rajmahal Square, Rajmahal Square-Master Canteen Square, Master Canteen-Ram Mandir, Ram Mandir-Maharshi College and Maharshi College-Vani Vihar stretches.However, work has been completed only on 865 metre of Shishu Bhawan-Rajmahal stretch. On the Rajmahal-Master Canteen stretch, just about 50 pc work is over on while less than 20 pc progress has been made on the remaining stretches.
Due to the delay, BSCL has now decided to take up redevelopment works of 830 metre Ram Mandir-Maharshi College stretch and 1,215 metre Maharshi College-Vani Vihar stretch together in a single phase and not to bring much change to the existing facilities along the stretches.
Blocks on the road
A major challenge for BSCL in carrying out the project has been shifting of electric transformers, encroachments and relocation of street vendors.The vending zones along Janpath road near Sriya Talkies square, Ram Mandir as well as Ramadevi University needs to be removed - at least for a temporary period - for development of smart vending kiosks, footpath, cycle track and multi-utility space on the entire stretch. The work, however, is yet to be done.
Besides, no bollard has been installed or barricading created around the multi-utility zones (elevated surfaces along the roads) adjacent to parking spaces near Rajmahal, Ram Mandir and other stretches making them vulnerable to illegal parking.The tardy pace of underground cabling work of OPTCL has messed things further. With roads dug up on both sides at different locations, commuters have a harrowing time during peak hours. The delay in its completion has also put a break on the Janpath Redevelopment Project.
In the absence of proper planning, the ongoing project which was supposed to give smart solution to traffic woes on the arterial road has worsened it.Trimming of road on both sides between Vani Vihar and Rajmahal Square for creation of sensor-based on-street parking has constricted its width by at least 5 metres. Sources said, parking space on the stretch is being created for 2,100 four-wheelers even though many are of the view that such a move may prove counter-productive.
The auto-rickshaw owners, meanwhile, are unhappy. Although hundreds of auto-rickshaws ply on the roads everyday, no dedicated parking space has been created for these public carriers. A temporary auto bay has been created near Rajmahal Square but they say it won’t help much in the long run.
No traffic projection
With roads constricted and dedicated parking space created to allow on-street parking of vehicles, traffic congestion has come to stay instead of easing off. What is worrying is there is very little background work done to factor in the future traffic load along the stretch which is going to witness much bigger projects in the years to come. One in the pipeline is the world-class Multi Modal Hub (MMH) at Master Canteen Square. A joint venture of East Coast Railway and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), it envisages a new terminal building for railway station, city bus terminal, public car parking and allied public utilities besides an air concourse connecting both sides of the railway station.
The State Government will build MMH at an estimated Rs 840 crore under Smart City project for which the Railways will spend around Rs 70 crore. BDA has already roped in Singapore-based international design consultant Surbana Jurong Private Limited for it.As per the plan, the new station building and the two new railway lines with platforms will be developed in an integrated manner.
The proposed building will have G+5 floors of which G+2 floors will be earmarked for use by the Railways. There will be theatre plaza, art plaza and children’s plaza along with food courts besides dedicated pickup and drop off lanes for vehicles. An iconic city square with commercial, retail, hotel and service apartments have also been planned. It will be developed in an integrated manner with public utility space having pedestrian and cycling tracks.
Yet, neither BSCL nor the consulting agencies -- BUKC or EGIS - have any idea about the traffic projection once these projects materialise. On the contrary, BSCL engineers claim that traffic flow on the stretch will decline since similar hubs will be developed in other parts of the city as well which will take the load off this stretch.
More pressure ahead
The reality, however, is something else. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s new iconic 10-storey building is also being built on the stretch. There are plans for creating multi-storey residential quarters for government employees too. Yet, none of these appear to have been included in the traffic projections for the future.
In fact, a survey carried out by German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) for BDA and Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) for low carbon mobility reveals that Rajmahal and Master Canteen Squares on Janpath are the two most busiest stretches of the Capital after Kalpana Square.
Around 70,738 passenger vehicles, 1,268 freight vehicles and 220 non-motorised vehicles travel through Master Canteen square every day, while over 1.07 lakh passenger vehicles, 1,842 freight vehicles and 5,313 non-motorised vehicles cross Rajmahal square every day, reveals the survey which was conducted a year back. During peak periods, it says, around 5,969 vehicle cross Master Canteen square and 10,525 vehicles cross Rajmahal square every hour. Besides, vehicular movement on this stretch is growing at an annual rate of 5 to 7 per cent.
The BSCL officials, however, are clueless about traffic projection data. An official admitted that the traffic projection data, based on which the project should have been developed, is not available with them.Urban Planner Piyush Rout says the Smart Janpath Project may change the look of the stretch but is unlikely to solve traffic problems. “The on-street parking which is now being demarcated, will only lead to traffic chaos,” he said. Non-shifting/non-rehabilitation vending zones would continue to encourage illegal street-parking on the road.
No problem, says BSCL
BSCL CEO Prem Chandra Chaudhary said efforts are on to complete the projects within the revised deadline. The redevelopment project with dedicated non-motorised zone and public realms will create more open space on the road and make Janpath a model roadway.“No extra space has been earmarked for on-street parking. The space we are demarcating for on-street parking has already been tendered by BMC for parking. These spaces are being demarcated only to ensure that illegal parking is prevented,” he explained.
DCP (Traffic) Sagarika Nath feels on-street parking should be discouraged for smooth flow of traffic. The Commissionerate Police is holding regular meetings with all the stakeholders, including BMC and BSCL, to ensure that the traffic on city roads is regulated smoothly even when the project works are in progress.
Smart Janpath Road length 5.8 km Sishu Bhawan to Rajmahal |