Traffic chaos on Cuttack-Puri road near State Museum Square in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar; Jan. 19: Five people were injured when a trekker overturned after hitting a cyclist in front of the district and sessions court, Khurda, on National Highway 203 today. The highway connects Bhubaneswar with Puri.

This stretch of the highway between Kalpana Square and Rabi Talkies has turned particularly dangerous with at least 25 accidents taking place there in the last four months.

This is one of the busiest areas of the capital with the state museum, Bhanja Kala Mandap, BJB College, Tahsil Office, Bhubaneswar court and the Pantha Niwas situated right on the highway along this stretch.

Eyewitnesses said that the cyclist fell at least five feet away from the spot after being hit by the trekker, which was coming from Puri. He sustained serious injuries. The trekker then hit the road divider and overturned with all its occupants being thrown onto the road under the impact of the collision. Four of them were injured.

Police rushed the injured to Capital Hospital. While three of them were discharged after preliminary treatment, two others with serious injuries were shifted to a private hospital. The accident brought traffic on the highway to a halt for about half an hour with vehicles stranded on both sides. The traffic resumed after Badagada police arrived at the spot and cleared the road by lifting the trekker with a crane.

Sources said that the trekker was going to Kalpana and had hit a car at the Rabi Talkies Square before colliding with the cyclist.

“After hitting the car, the trekker driver sped away and, unable to control the vehicle, dashed against the cyclist. The vehicle overturned after its front wheels mounted the road divider,” said Muktikanta Nayak, a passenger of the trekker who was lucky to escape unhurt.

People of the area said that accidents on the highway near the court premises have become a common occurrence.

“This is not the first accident we have seen here. There have been many in the past. In fact, the whole stretch of the highway from Kalpana Square to Rabi Talkies has become extremely dangerous. Traffic jams occur every now and then,” said Siddharth Das, a senior advocate.

“There is not even enough parking space for vehicles coming to the court and the adjoining tehsil office. Many park their vehicles on the edge of the road, further narrowing it down,” said a police officer.

A senior officer said that the police could do little about the frequent traffic jams in the area till the parking problem near the court was solved.

“Providing parking space to the people is not the duty of the police. Our job is to regulate the traffic,” said a police officer.