Bhubaneswar, Sept. 24: Dussehra and Durga Puja preparations are gathering pace here with the public works department gearing up to repair roads and drains near pandals.

The works department has identified roads and drains in dire need of repairs to ensure hassle-free movement of visitors ahead of the festive season. The administrator will take up the works at Bomikhal, Niladri Vihar, Chandrasekharpur, Prasanti Vihar, Niladri Vihar, Old Town and Sailashree Vihar.

"We have identified the drains and roads near puja pandals that are in need of repairs after consulting with our executive engineers from all the four divisions. We have started the repairs on war footing and they will over by the end of this month," said chief engineer, roads, O.P. Patel.

The major project on the repairs list is the restoration of the service road of Saheed Nagar railway overbridge, which leads people to one of the biggest puja pandal at Bomikhal. According to the Puja committee, the pandal receives an average footfall of 50,000 people every year during the festive season.

The service roads have been in poor shape for a long time because of the construction of the railway overbridge adjacent to the Bomikhal Puja Mandap. "Thousands of people visit this place during the Pujas. The poor shape of the roads will be a big problem for them. It will make traffic congestion worse," said a Puja committee member, Uttam Mohanty.

The other works on the list are the construction and repair of roads and drains at Niladri Vihar and Sailashree Vihar.

"The Pujas in these two areas are comparatively smaller in glamour and scale, but a number of people do visit them. It is a timely decision to repair the roads and drains here," said Sailashree Vihar resident Niraj Rout.

The drain construction near the pandal in the railway area poses another major hurdle for Puja revellers. The works department has decided to provide extra outlets in the drains in the road from MCL Chhak to Railway Workshop for better drainage as well as construction of an approach road over the drains to the pandal.

"The main road leading to the pandal area has been in poor shape for a long time, but thanks to the administration's speedy work, it is now in a better condition. However, they should now expedite the work on the drain and the approach road construction to the pandal site," said Tarini Das, a shopkeeper near the railway workshop.

Earlier, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had provided Rs 5 lakh to each ward for construction and repair of roads and drains near the pandals ahead of the festive season. "The councillors have been asked to undertake necessary repairs and co-ordinate with the works department officials," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.