Patna is among seven capital cities that the Centre has given a second chance to vie for the smart city tag, but the Bihar capital lacks spectacularly in two key criteria for making the cut: provision for cycle tracks and adequate parking space.

Neither has there been is any progress in preparing the detailed project report for development of Patna as a smart city, nor are the authorities taking steps to clear the rampant encroachment by vegetable and fruit vendors that eats into the space available for most streets. This, despite the Patna Municipal Corporation recently getting its own dedicated enforcement wing including constables for conducting anti-encroachment drives.

The Telegraph highlights a few spots where the encroachment and parking menace is particularly troubling.

Raja Bazaar (under Jagdeopath-Sheikhpura Mor flyover)

The motive behind construction of Jagdeopath-Sheikhpura Mor flyover was to decongest the Raja Bazaar stretch of Bailey Road. The hundreds of vendors, who left very little space for vehicles, shifted temporarily during the construction of the flyover between December 2012 and July last year. However, they have reclaimed their territory close to a year after the flyover opened.

"I have again started avoiding Raja Bazaar due to the snarls, especially between the IGIMS gate and Ashiana Mor," said college teacher Pratyush Singh. "Instead, I come via veterinary college road, which brings me straight to Ashiana Mor. This was the same route that I used to take before the flyover. The flyover has hardly served any purpose."

Bailey Road (in front of New Secretariat)

Hartali Mor is one of the biggest crossings in the city and the queue of vehicles ahead of the signals there gets even longer in the evening hours due to the flourishing vegetable market adjacent to the New Secretariat boundary wall. Many people stop their vehicles there to buy vegetables on their way back home from office.

The situation has deteriorated lately following commencement of work on the Bailey Road multi-junctional interchange project, better known as the Lohia Path Chakra project. "The vegetable market in front of New Secretariat is getting bigger with every successive day," said Amit Kumar, a city businessman. "The vendors squat here till late evening (11pm). It is a sorry state of affairs as such nuisance is happening in the heart of the city and under the nose of IAS officials who sit at the secretariat."

Kadamkuan (in front of Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammelan)

The vegetable market in front of Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammelan at Kadamkuan is decades old. Even though an authorised vending zone exists adjacent to the Sahitya Sammelan, a large number of vendors have permanently encroached upon the already narrow thoroughfare in front of it.

"The width of the Kadamkuan main road in front of Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammelan has been reduced to less than 10 feet on either side," said Rajendra Nagar resident Monu Agrawal. "Forget two lanes, at times even a single four-wheeler cannot properly move through the road due to the rampantly parked vehicles and vegetable vendors."

Station Road

Station Road is a pedestrian's nightmare as the entire footpath on this stretch is encroached by hawkers, fruits and vegetable sellers. The situation has worsened with the ongoing flyover construction work, forcing people to walk on the street and remain vulnerable to mishaps.

The worst is the situation around Patna Junction Roundabout and in front of Hanuman Mandir, which is filled with potholes. Thousands of travellers and devotees put their lives at risk while they walk on the muddy street amid hundreds of auto-rickshaws and city buses.

"I go to Hanuman Mandir every Tuesday and I must say that even getting inside the temple is the most daunting task. The situation has become horrific lately with perennial waterlogging on the station roundabout," said Rishabh Pandey, a resident of Sheikhpura Mor.

Ramnagri Mor

The vendors' encroachment is not confined to arterial roads. The vendors have found their way even into the lanes and bylanes of the city.

One of the worst affected is Ram Nagari Mor in the vicinity of Ashiana Nagar. Ramnagri Mor remains completely chock-a-block in the evening hours as vendors put up their carts on either side of the road and people park their vehicles while buying vegetables.

"It is an irony that the vegetable vendors conduct their business in the evening hours despite police patrol parties deputed here on most days. A number of senior government officials also live in this area but nobody seems to care," said Avinash Kumar, resident of Ramnagri Colony sector 2.

OfficialSpeak

Asked about the encroachment threat to the smart city push, a senior official in the SPUR (Support Programme for Urban Reforms) programme of the urban development and housing department merely said that provisions for clearing such hurdles are included in the basic guidelines under the smart city mission. The official also said that a consultant has been selected for preparing the of detailed project report (DPR) for Patna's smart city proposal.

"The government of India has already empanelled few reputed consultants for preparation of DPR in smart city competition. These consultants have been grouped into different regions and we have selected one of the consultants from eastern region. The work order for preparation of DPR for Patna would be issued in a few days," said the official, adding that there is no deadline for the submission of the DPRs of the seven capital cities that have been given a second chance in the smart city competition.