Traffic congestion at Balu Bazar crossing. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, April 19: Encroachments and lack of scope for expansion of major roads have started to affect the daily lives of the residents of the Silver City who find it hard to negotiate with heavy traffic.

Traffic congestion during the peak office hours have become a regular affair on major streets in areas such as Buxi Bazar, Mangalabag, College Square and Choudhry Bazaar.

Though many commuters opt for various shortcuts to avoid traffic congestions on main roads, it has failed to solve the traffic woes as such thoroughfares are also struggling to accommodate the rising numbers of vehicles.

The 1.5-km stretch of the road from Ganesh Ghat to Balu Bazar is a fine example of traffic congestion. “There is utter chaos particularly on the road from Ganesh Ghat to Balu Bazar, which is crying for space to accommodate the ever-increasing number of vehicles. Lack of measures to make the road encroachment-free is creating hurdles in smooth flow of traffic here,” said Ashok Sahoo (47), a commuter.

The road acts as a connecting link between areas such as Binod Behari Market, Naya Sarak, Choudhry Bazaar, Nimchouri, High court on the one side and Badambadi, Puri Ghat and Dagarpada on the other. Everyday, hundreds of commuters use the road to travel to their respective destinations. But there are problems in the smooth flow of traffic on this major street because of lack of scope for expansion and lack of space for parking of vehicles.

“The road is very narrow especially in the area where it approaches towards the four-way crossing of Balu Bazar,” said Kamal Naidu (55), a businessman.

Moreover, there is an unprecedented rush at Balu Bazar crossing as vehicles from Choudhry Bazaar, Nayasarak, Nimchori and High court converge at this point to make their ways through other parts of the city.

On the other hand, traffic sources admitted that encroachment is a major hurdle in smooth flow of traffic. “Despite lack of space, we are trying our best to streamline traffic and certain new methods have been introduced, besides identification of new parking spaces,” said a traffic officer.

Moreover, traffic constables and other home guards have been deployed at Balu Bazar crossing to regulate traffic there, the official added.