Power House Square
On one side of this busy junction is Nautala that houses a number of government offices. This has made it a busy zone for pedestrian movement, particularly during office hours. With the Unit-VIII Government Boys' High School on the other side, the junction sees a lot of student footfall. Road repair work had wiped out the zebra lines and it has not been re-painted even after a fortnight.
Commuterspeak: “Vehicles usually speed on this stretch. Even when the light turns red for traffic, it is difficult to the roads as vehicles occupy zebra lines that are missing now,” said Jitendra Sahu, a schoolteacher.
120 Infantry Battalion Square
Located near Power House Square, this junction has the infantry battalion office and police headquarters on either side. Here too, the zebra crossing has been wiped out due to repair work. The lackadaisical attitude of the authorities has delayed repainting of the lines. The ongoing underground cable work has further narrowed the road, forcing pedestrians to walk perilously close to speeding vehicles.
Commuterspeak: “Smart traffic lights have been installed here, but people continue to violate traffic rules. Traffic police does precious little to stop such violations. This has made crossing the junction risky,” said Unit V resident Subhadra Hati.
Shastri Nagar Square
The presence of several residential colonies and apartments has made it a busy zone. The road has been repaired a few weeks back, but the zebra lines are yet to be repainted. The lines are crucial as this is an accident-prone zone.
Commuterspeak: “There are no speed breakers on this road, allowing vehicles to speed. It is difficult to cross the road and people are forced to walk to the junction to cross it when the light turns red. This junction also does not have zebra lines,” said Sumitra Mitra, a resident of Shastri Nagar.
Kalinga Stadium Square
Kalinga Stadium has become a hotspot for sporting events, making the zone a busy one. Though this junction requires zebra lines, the authorities are yet to repaint them after road repair.
Commuterspeak: “The stadium is hosting the Hero Super Cup right now and fans are turning up in hundreds to watch the matches. But most visitors have a tough time crossing the road in the absence of zebra lines,” said Swetakanta Meher, a shopkeeper near the junction.
AUTHORITYSPEAKS
Road repair work is on in most part of Bhubaneswar. Once the job is done, we will repaint the zebra lines. We have repaired and painted most of the roads and will finish the entire job in a month's time.
OP Patel,chief engineer (roads), public works department
Compiled by Sandeep Mishra
Pictures by Ashwinee Pati
