A chock-a-block thoroughfare in Muzaffarpur and (above) a new city bus ready to join the snarl. Telegraph pictures

Muzaffarpur, June 7: Good news for the harried commuters is set to have a boomerang effect on the already burdened traffic on the narrow roads of the city.

Traffic congestion in the city has been a big hurdle since long but the proposed launch of Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) city ring buses has stolen the district police’s sleep.

Assistant superintendent of police (ASP) (city) Vikas Varman told The Telegraph that the police department was contemplating to set right the traffic system once again. “Traffic bottleneck has been a threat to the plying of city bus services on the roads. The police department has come to know about the ensuing induction of 32 city ring buses from July-August this year. BSRTC has pinpointed spots to run city ring buses along six the busiest routes in the city.

The buses will ply from SKMCH to Government Bus Stand, Kanti to Rohuwa, Khadi Bhandar Chowk to Bhagwanpur, Patahi to Banaras Bank Chowk, Turki to SKMCH and Bochahan to government bus stand located at Imlichatti area of the town. The ASP said that the traffic force would be strengthened in near future and the number of personnel deployed at the traffic post would be increased.

At present, there were 45 traffic cops to regulate traffic. However, at least it needed more than 125 cops for effective regulation of traffic and prevent congestion. The chairman of North Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NBCCI), Motilal Chapari, expressed serious concern over the inordinate delay being adopted by the district police in improving the traffic system.

The NBCCI chairman said he will soon meet the director-general of police (Tirhut), Bachchu Singh Meena, the district magistrate, Santosh Kumar Mall, and the senior superintendent of police, Rajesh Kumar, to draw their attention towards the refurbishing of the traffic congestion.

Sources said the proposed plan of the district police suffered a serious setback to rectify the traffic congestion. Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation (MMC) has poured water to the plan by staying away in creating parking space in Motijheel, Akharaghat Road, Tilak Maidan Road, Companybagh, Jawaharlal Road and Aamgola Road.

The district police had identified spots in the said areas to park motorbikes and four-wheelers. Moreover, MMC has been directed to remove illegal encroachments on pavements and roads by vendors and kiosks.

The acting commissioner to Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation (MMC), Arun Kumar Singh, has expressed helplessness in evicting encroached roads owing to lack of necessary infrastructure. Singh said the corporation lacked resources to remove the traffic hurdles.

Meanwhile, BSRTC has formulated a plan to introduce city bus services in Muzaffarpur shortly. The road transport corporation (Muzaffarpur circle) has augmented a proposal to seek a tender of 30 buses to run it in Muzaffarpur in the first phase.

Talking to The Telegraph today, the district manager of Road Transport Corporation (Muzaffarpur), Shambhu Nath Singh, said the ring bus services would be finally introduced in July-August this year. Necessary formalities like seeking tenders for 30 buses are being processed.

The state government had planned to introduce city bus services in three divisional towns in the state, including Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Gaya, simultaneously. The Muzaffarpur unit of the Road Transport Corporation has in the first phase pinpointed the need for introduction of 30 city buses, each with a capacity to seat 32 persons.

“Fares of autorickshaws are being taken into consideration before deciding on the fares for the city ring buses,” said the district manager of Road Transport Corporation (Muzaffarpur). The transport corporation has also earmarked 26 roundabouts where the city buses will pick up and drop passengers.

The stoppage points would be developed to protect and cover the passengers from the sunrays and rainfall. Fare chart would be displayed at every halt sites. In the first phase, the city buses will run from six routes almost touching all parts of the city. In the next phase, the route would be further expanded. Singh stated that the Transport Corporation has forwarded a proposal to the state government seeking sanction to run city buses in Muzaffarpur.