Patna High court on Monday directed the state government to file a reply within two weeks on measures taken to streamline traffic on different roads in Patna.

A division bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anil Kumar Upadhyay passed the order against a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Public Interest Litigation Forum, which had highlighted poor traffic management in Patna.

The petitioner's lawyer, Shashi Bhushan Kumar, told the court that traffic snarls seemed to have become perpetual in Patna, causing great inconvenience to residents.

Patna suffers traffic congestion through the year. Reaching office, college or home on time has become a daily challenge. Absence of mass transport is the main cause for the traffic mess, not to forget the city's threadbare infrastructure, which adds to commuters' woes, the lawyer told the court.

He further told the court that adding to the chaos were people, who are forced to cross the busy roads dodging the moving traffic, as most pavements are not useable and there are no zebra crossings or pedestrian signals. Even where there is a zebra crossing, it is hardly followed in spirit, he said, adding: "It's where poor traffic management, badly timed signals and potholed roads cause autorickshaws, buses, cars and bikes struggle to find a way out of the massive mess."

During the previous hearing, the court had directed the state government and Patna Municipal Corporation to file a counter affidavit in this regard, but it is yet to be filed following which the court directed the government to file it within two weeks. Only, the Bihar Pollution Control Board has filed the counter affidavit so far. The bench has also been apprised of the parking problem in Patna. While several areas are no-parking zones, motorists still park cars outside restaurant and shops - or worse, stop in the middle of the road for shoppers to alight, the court was told.

A state transport department official said: "While bottlenecks at intersections lead to traffic jams, the number of flyovers constructed to decongest the city traffic have merely shifted congestion from one point to another." A common grouse of citizens is perennial road repair. "There is no coordination between different government agencies. While one government body constructs new roads, another carries out digging, leading to traffic jams," the official added.