Vehicular congestion at Bangali Sahi Road in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Nov. 27: Bangali Sahi Road, one of the major thoroughfares of the city, is struggling to accommodate the ever-increasing number of vehicles. What has compounded the traffic problems on this street is that there is no scope for its expansion.

The Bangali Sahi Road acts as a link between Kesharpur, Seminary Chhak, Jhola Sahi, Pithapur, Telenga Bazar, Raja Bagicha and Ring Road.

Everyday, hundreds of commuters, especially from Kesharpur and Jhola Sahi, use this road to travel to Puri Ghat and Bhubaneswar via Ring Road to avoid rush at Haripur, Dolamundai, Pithapur and Badambadi areas.

“There is a heavy rush on this road during peak hours as many people, including office-goers and students, depend on it,” said Kulamani Rout, a commuter. Rout blamed rapid urbanisation and lack of initiatives to improve the existing infrastructure for the present situation.

Moreover, as Cuttack is one of the oldest cities of the state, most of its roads stand no chance of expansion. “I prefer to take this road to go to Bhubaneswar as there is always a heavy rush at Dolamundai and Badambadi areas. However, this road is also frequently hit by traffic congestion, and sometimes it gets very difficult to navigate,” said Samir Khan, a resident of Seminary Chhak.

Bangali Sahi is one of Cuttack’s oldest localities and has a religious significance. Of late, a lot of residential and commercial establishments have also come up here.

However, there is no parking space available here. As a result, most of the vehicles can be seen parked on the roadside creating obstruction to smooth flow of traffic. The road is also in a bad shape and no step is being taken for its repair.

“A lot of repair works need to undertaken, besides covering some open drains alongside the Bangali Sahi Road,” said Kishore Mohanty, a local resident. On the other hand, traffic officials said they were taking steps to regulate vehicular movement at different parts of the city. “Vehicular movements have been regulated on the prominent streets to some extent because of stringent enforcement of traffic rules. Orissa High Court has also directed to ensure similar measures for various lanes and bylanes in the city, which will be enforced soon,” said a traffic official.