Around six cut-points on the divider of the stretch connecting Link Road and Badambadi pose threat to the lives of commuters. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Sept. 18: Multiple cut-points on divider on the road connecting Link Road and Badambadi is posing a threat to the lives of commuters and other pedestrians who use these points to cross over.

There are a total of six cut-points on the 2.2km stretch. Two cut-points near Link Road petrol pump Palamandap are the most accident-prone.

“Though the cut-point near Palamandap was closed, some people have again dug a small portion of the concrete road divider to facilitate passage of the pedestrians and the two wheelers. Apart from creating chaos this is posing a threat to the commuters’ lives,” said Bijay Sahu, a local resident.

Sahu, however, admitted that the cut-points were necessary to help pedestrians easily cross the roads. There should be at least three main cut-points with homeguards deployed to regulate traffic, he said. The cut-point near the Link Road petrol pump, too, posed a threat to the commuters’ safety. Though stop boards have been placed to prevent the entry of cars and autorickshaws, small gaps are left open for the two-wheelers to cross over as the area houses a few residential colonies and a hospital.

“I have seen at least two to three minor accidents in the past couple of weeks near the Palamandap cut-point,” said Laxmidhar Rout, a commuter.

Local residents said the traffic officials should install moulded plastic humps some 40m to 50m away from each cut-point, so that people get some time to cross over. The humps would also act as speed-breakers for the heavy vehicles. The stretch from Link Road to Badambadi is not only a busy thoroughfare, but also the converging point for the traffic coming from the national highway and the city.

Traffic officials said adequate steps had been taken to regulate traffic on the busy 2.2km stretch from Madhupatna Square to Badambadi.

“Earlier, there were at least 19 openings on the stretch. It has now been reduced to four. Though the Palamandap cut-point was closed, it has been opened again,” said an official. One person was recently arrested for cutting the concrete divider near Palamandap. The opening near the Link Road petrol pump was closed with stop boards placed there and a gap maintained to facilitate passage of the two-wheelers, the official said.

The roads and building department would be approached to plug the gap near Palamandap, he said.