Traffic jams set to mar puja revelry

Commuters are already experiencing traffic congestion on most of the major roads in city
Vehicles caught in traffic jam at Jayadev Vihar in Bhubaneswar on Monday evening
Vehicles caught in traffic jam at Jayadev Vihar in Bhubaneswar on Monday evening Photo | Express
Updated on
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BHUBANESWAR : As the Durga Puja revelry begins, residents of the state capital are bracing up for traffic snarls, a usual phenomenon during the festive season.

Commuters are already experiencing traffic jams on most of the major routes like Cuttack-Puri Road, Kalpana, Rasulgarh, Vani Vihar, Saheed Nagar, Janpath, Acharya Vihar, Jaydev Vihar, Chandrasekharpur and others.

As major pandals including the ones at Baramunda, Nayapalli, Saheed Nagar, Rasulgarh and Bomikhal are located on the side of main roads, the traffic woes will only deteriorate in the coming days.

Alok Patra, a citizen, said, “It took me more than 30 minutes to reach Kalpana Square from Saheed Nagar via Satya Nagar on Monday afternoon. Usually, it takes less than 15 minutes to cover the same distance.” He alleged that there is no traffic management in the city with the cops hardly making any effort to address the issue, especially during the evenings.

Another route which witnesses major traffic congestion is the Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan road. Long queues of vehicles moving at a snail’s pace has become a regular affair on the road.

A major cause of concern is the abrupt halting of inter-city buses on the flyover in front of Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT) at Acharya Vihar and on National Highway-16 near Satsang Vihar, Rasulgarh and Palasuni. This not only leads to traffic jams but also poses risk to commuters.

Even as the police’s response to the increasing traffic jams remains sluggish, the absence of a regular Traffic DCP in the twin city is making matters worse.

A senior police official though said steps are being taken to tackle the situation. Bhubaneswar police have deployed traffic personnel with motorcycles to manage congestion during Durga Puja. “A total of 10 motorcycles with two personnel each have been engaged in traffic duties from October 6. Each team has been tasked to monitor busy junctions on a 5-km stretch between 5 pm and 10 pm. The timings will be further extended during the puja,” said the officer.

Besides, if traffic snarls are noticed for more than 10 minutes in any junction of the city through the CCTV cameras of BSCL or police, teams will be immediately sent to the spot to clear the rush. Police personnel in four dedicated cars may also be deployed in Bhubanewar and Cuttack to ensure unhindered traffic flow during Dussehra.

Movement of heavy vehicles restricted

Bhubaneswar: Commissionerate Police on Monday issued an order restricting movement of heavy vehicles from 4 pm to 2 am between Sasthi and Dasami. Heavy vehicles will not be allowed to ply on the service roads along NH-16 between Baramunda and Palasuni and vice versa during the period. Similarly, heavy vehicles en route to Bhubaneswar from Khurda will be diverted from Pitapalli to Balikuda via Chandaka and Baranga. During the Ravan Podi utsav, all vehicles coming towards Bhubaneswar from Cuttack side on NH-16 will be diverted from Jaydev Vihar to CRP Square via Behera Sahi, Shastri Nagar, Power House Square and Unit-8.

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