Two-wheelers parked on footpath along airport-Nandankanan road at Chandrasekharpur in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 17: For Chandrasekharpur resident Ajit Dash, moving around the daily market near the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) colony has become a nightmare.

Traffic congestion on the busy airport-Nandankanan road outside the market has taken a toll on Chandrasekharpur residents as consumers tend to park their vehicles on both the road and the footpaths while shopping at the market.

“Things become worst, particularly on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, when consumers prefer to buy non-vegetarian items. At times, it becomes unsafe to move around with kids on the stretch. Besides, the foul smell emanating from the market also affects the nearby residents,” said Dash.

The traffic congestion spills on the footpaths as two-wheeler owners tend to park their vehicles there, causing problems for pedestrians. Local people put the blame on illegal parking to several accidents in the area. Local resident Conjester Jena said: “The traffic problem has become so acute that almost every week around six road mishaps occur in this area. We have requested the civic body to take immediate action and shift the market.”

Earlier, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation shifted the market to a distant place.

“But, citing no sale of their products, the vendors again came back near the road,” said Kalpana Samal, another resident of Chandrasekharpur.

While authorities are now putting blame on each other for the traffic congestion, the civic body has, however, a concrete plan to resolve the problem, apart from giving away mere assurance.

City traffic inspector Debashish Mallick said: “Before allowing the vendors to sit in a market, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation officials should have consulted with us. As parking on an important road has become an impediment to free traffic movement, we will talk to the officials to chalk out a solution.”

On the other hand, mayor Ananta Narayan Jena told The Telegraph: “I have information regarding parking on the road due to the daily market, especially on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, when the sale of non-vegetarian items goes high. I will ask our officers to visit the site and take appropriate action, so that the people do not suffer. The encroached footpath will be free from parking.”

However, what is expected to work out is the development body’s road-widening plan. Jena said the Bhubaneswar Development Authority had marked a 100-foot-wide master plan road from the local market up to Niladri Vihar.

Once the road construction starts, the problem will be solved partially as the shop owners have to take away their spread to another place to facilitate the construction.

After the road comes into existence, vendors would find no space to sit and carry out business from that place, he said.