Damaged roads at Professorpara in Cuttack. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, July 1: Traffic congestion and bad roads have compounded the problems of local residents and commuters in the Millennium City.

In a bid to avoid heavy rush and traffic congestion at Bajrakabati and Ranihat Square, 27-year-old Deepak Patra today decided to use the Proffessorpara road to pick his uncle from the railway station.

But Patra had a tough time dealing with bad road conditions at Proffessorpara, which acts as a thoroughfare between Bajrakabati and College Square area.

“I went to the railway station via the Bajrakabati and Ranihat Square. As the road was congested, I decided to take the Proffessorpara route while returning home. However, there the road was in a bad condition,” said Patra.

Apart from Patra, many commuters who depend on the Proffessorpara road are finding it harder by the day to deal with the deteriorating road condition.

“Big potholes on the road are causing lot of inconvenience, not only for the residents but hundreds of commuters and school and college students who depend on the vital road,” said Aravinda Khuntia, 29, a local resident.

According to the local residents, the condition of the road has deteriorated in the last few months. Despite several complaints no step has yet been taken for its repairs, say the residents.

As a result, there has been a rise in the number of accidents on the stretch of road that acts a link between Bajrakabati, Dolamundai, Badambadi, Chhatrabazar, College Square and Ranihat.

“The bad road condition here has doubled the problems for commuters, who are already struggling to deal with traffic congestions at prominent roads in the city. The authorities should try to improve the road conditions. It’s a basic necessity for smooth flow of traffic,” said Kailash Sahu, 41, another commuter.

However, local councillor Laxmipriya Samantaray has expressed helplessness in solving the problems at Proffessorpara, which falls under ward No. 27 of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC).

“So far I have not received adequate support from the authorities of CMC. A lot of developmental work, including construction and repair of roads, is yet to be taken up at the ward,” said Samantaray.

Though the tender process for the repair of road at Sagadia Sahi has been passed, the work is yet to begin. Similarly, despite several complaints and assurances, the authorities are yet to initiate steps for the repair of the Proffessorpara road.

“I had recently boycotted the CMC council meeting and will stage a demonstration in front of the CMC office if no step is taken to solve the genuine problems at the ward,” the Samantaray added.