Traffic officials diverting traffic in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, April 5: The Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Commissionerate Police will soon launch an easy to remember traffic helpline number for providing tips on traffic movement in the twin cities and assisting hundreds of commuters who face problems on the road.

Apart from providing traffic updates and easing vehicular movement, the toll-free number will also give out information regarding accidents in both the cities and on the national highway connecting the cities.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the traffic management committee held on Tuesday evening.

“The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has approved the project and we are hopeful that the traffic helpline number will become operational in the next 15 to 20 days,” said a senior police official.

The official added that although the number allotted was 1095, it would take about a fortnight for it to become functional. A control room will be set up at Madhupatna Traffic Police station and the officials would initiate timely action based on the information and queries of the caller. People can also call up the toll-free number if they have any traffic-related complaints. The complaints would be directed to the respective traffic divisions.

Sources said that the traffic helpline was the first step towards modernisation of the traffic control room. Last year, the police had launched a Global Positioning System to track the movement of the PCR vans in Bhubaneswar. So far, the technology has been useful in ensuring that the PCR vans reach crime and accident spots at the earliest.

According to a recent proposal, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras would be installed at different junctions in Bhubaneswar to tackle traffic violators. Though Cuttack is yet to be covered under the same scheme, many believe that installation of CCTV cameras is essential at Madhupatna and high court.

Traffic officials said the helpline number would also assist in controlling crime, as people could inform the police if they come across any kind of criminal activity.

“The decision to launch the toll-free helpline number couldn’t have come at a better time. The number of vehicles in the twin cities is steadily rising with each passing day. As a result, traffic chaos and peak-hour snarls have become the order of the day. Moreover, many people do not have the telephone numbers of the various police stations. So, a uniform traffic helpline number would go a long way in easing traffic mess,” said Ashok Chaubey, a resident of Cuttack.

Apart from the traffic helpline number, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has been asked to provide a list of kalyan mandaps and review their parking arrangements.

“A sub-committee has been formed and the CMC officials have been asked to submit a list of kalyan mandaps that do not have provisions for parking. This is causing traffic congestion during marriages and other public functions on the roads near the mandaps,” said member of advocates’ committee P.R. Dash.