Berhampur, Oct. 4: Berhampur police have fitted bolted fibre cone road dividers for the first time in the Silk City to facilitate and provide safety to the citizens.

“We have fitted bolted fibre cone road dividers at the busiest Courtpeta Square and the new system is working since September 24. It’s part of our three-pronged strategy to regulate vehicular traffic in Berhampur,” said Prateek Mohanty, superintendent of police.

Courtpeta Square is important because all private and government run Odisha State Road Transport Corporation buses from different routes pass through it to reach the city bus stand.

“We have decided to construct a new traffic post at Courtpeta Square as there is none at present,” Mohanty said.

“We have also requested the Berhampur Municipal Corporation to provide traffic lights at the square to further streamline the traffic,” he said.

Akshya Kumar Panda, a traffic constable deployed at Courtpeta Square, said: “The traffic lights are programmed for a particular period, this would put an end to road chaos.”

Berhampur police demarcate up and down routes on city roads. Pictures by Gopal Krishna Reddy

At present, eight personnel — including one havildar, two traffic constables, one traffic home guard and four home guards — from Baidyanathpur police station are managing the traffic at Courtpeta Square. Traffic management with the existing infrastructure is a Herculean task.

The number of vehicles in the city has increased manifold. But the number of traffic personnel has decreased considerably. Sixty-six personnel, including six havildars and 60 constables, are managing city traffic in four shifts.

“We need at least 120 people to tackle the traffic in the city,” a constable said.

Mantu Mishra, a shopkeeper in the area, said: “Illegal parking is a common scene in most of the city roads. Stringent action should be taken against them.”