Bhubaneswar: The chaotic traffic condition at Janpath - one of the busiest locations in the city - refuses to go away.

Having dealt with encroachments, traffic chaos and parking problems, commuters and residents are now forced to deal with congestion near the Ashok Nagar stretch. This time it's the twin culprits of slow pace of underground cable laying work and haphazard parking.

The situation at this important arterial road worsens at night when the footfall increases since the area houses several shopping complexes, malls and hotels. The authorities have taken up the work to lay cable at the on-street parking area, leaving no room for vehicles. This forces people to park their vehicles along the road.

"The area has several commercial establishments, making it one of the most visited places. People park their vehicles on the other side of Ashok Nagar and cross over to visit the Market Building. The parking was already full; now the situation is worse," said shopkeeper Niraj Pandey.

The Central Electricity Supply Utility of Odisha (Cesu) and the Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited took up cabling in mid-April and dug about 500 metres of the road.

The civic body operates three sets of on-street parking lots between Master Canteen Square and Raj Mahal Square on the Ashok Nagar side. "We have asked the operators to penalise people who park on the roads," said a civic official.

Despite that, vehicle owners continue to flout the rules and park according to their will. The vehicles, mainly four-wheelers, are parked on the road, sometimes for hours, causing heavy congestion in the area. "It took me nearly half an hour to reach Raj Mahal Square from Master Canteen Square last night - a distance that can be covered in five minutes," said New Forest Park resident Bimal Sahu.

People also complained about the careless work of the electricity authorities.

"They have dug about 10ft and put barricades around, but those are loose and dangerous for animals," said Ashok Nagar resident Mansi Ojha.

Mayor Ananta Nayaran Jena, on the other hand, assured that normality would return shortly.

"The electricity authority had informed us about the work and we are helping them in completing it on time. Once completed, it will clear the congestion," he said, adding that they will enquire if the safety measures at the sites were properly put in place.