The city of “Baun Bazaar Tepan Gali” (52 markets and 53 streets) will soon have a Road Directory to give shape to a mobility plan that is being worked out for streamlining the road network as well as improving traffic and public transport systems.
The Directory would alienate all the roads on the basis of their length, size, width and category. The book would include maps, charts, photographs and illustrations to present an accurate picture of each and every road stretch, be it main thoroughfares, lanes, by-lanes or even internal passageways of different institutions.
The Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has been entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the Road Directory which would be one of its kind in the State. The civic body can undertake the job on a PPP mode by roping in private organisations with expertise in the field.
The necessity for having a comprehensive document on the road network in the city stems from fact that the roads here are owned by different departments. Often, there is a confusion over ownership of the road which leads to a buck-passing game when it comes to repair or maintenance.
The city, which has grown in boundary in recent years, now is estimated to have a total road length of over 1000 km.
The CMC is in charge of around 783 km while the R&B Division has about 100 km under its jurisdiction. The Irrigation Department has 51 km of roads including 18 km stretch of the Ring Road and NH-5 runs 17 km within the city limits. The Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) has around 74 km of roads under its disposal.
“The objective of the exercise is to assess ward-wise all the roads, old and new. The document will be of great help in understanding the nature of connectivity to the regions and the lapses.
It will work as a handbook for determining future course of action as a Master Plan for increasing mobility and improvement in public transport infrastructure, in view of the expanding city boundaries and creation of new residential and commercial zones, is being charted out”, CMC Commissioner Nihar Ranjan Mohapatra said.