Bhubaneswar, Dec. 28: Ravi Talkies Square in Old City has become synonymous with chaotic traffic.
The junction, which witnesses flow of vehicles from Kalpana Square, Sai Mandir Square, Sishu Bhavan Chhak and Puri road, has become a motorists' nightmare. Local people are irked at the delay in constructing a flyover in the area, which has a traffic signal post, but remains defunct.
A lone traffic policeman manages traffic at the square. Errant drivers often do not wait for the signal to pass and worsen the problem at the junction.
Samantarapur resident Srikant Mishra said: at the square.
The state government came out with a plan to build a two-lane double-decker flyover from Kalpana Square to Ravi Talkies Square on November 20 last year. But, even as more than a year has passed, the work on the project is yet to start.
According to a survey conducted by the public works department, the total number of vehicles passing through the square in a single day is almost 1.29 lakh. A works official said the firm that had been chosen for the project was yet to submit its report.
The delay in flyover construction has emerged as a challenge for motorists. The Puri-bound buses also take this square. "After crossing the square, buses often stop to pick up and drop passengers. This worsens traffic congestion at the square," said BJB Nagar resident Narendra Tripathy.
He said that other than the buses, several sand-laden trucks coming from Sai Mandir Square also contributed to traffic travails. Tripathy said the authorities had neglected the square despite it being one of the busiest in the city.
Samantarapur resident Santosh Pani said the proposed flyover would enable tourist buses and trucks to pass through the square seamlessly. "Till the flyover is built, at least two to three traffic policemen should be posted at the square. The lone cop posted here can be seen struggling to control the traffic during peak hours," he said.
Bhubaneswar deputy commissioner of police Satyabrat Bhoi said the cops planned to install a smart traffic signal at the square.
"We will shortly deploy more personnel at the square to ensure smooth flow of traffic," he said.
