Bhubaneswar: Passengers to the railway station here have a problem when they rush to catch trains - two new lanes constructed to ease traffic in the Master Canteen Square area have been encroached upon.

Not only street vendors, but rampantly parked cabs and auto-rickshaws have made the roads narrower and congested, making it difficult for passengers to reach the station easily. Encroachment not only creates congestion, but is also bad aesthetics, said a passenger.

"Many remain in a hurry to catch a train. The illegally parked autos, cabs and street vendors make commuting difficult for us. It is the only way to reach the station and there has to be a free passage," said Jatni resident Shyamli Mohanty, a daily passenger.

The authorities had in March last year took up the project to construct two parallel four-lane roads from Master Canteen Square to the railway station. To execute the project, major eviction drives were carried out to remove vendors. After the construction was done, the roads were ready for use in December.

"The approach roads to the station were not so wide and often fell prey to encroachment making commuting difficult for the people. The road was built to facilitate passengers movement, however, it is not serving its purpose because of encroachments," said Dibakar Sahu, who runs a fast food shop near the station.

The situation has turned worse with private cab services occupying turning the newly constructed stretches into unauthorised parking lots. "The auto-rickshaw drivers don't allow us to go near the station and pick up the passengers. They apprehend we will eat into their business. We are compelled to park our vehicles here," said a cab driver.

Another daily passenger Sudhir Mishra said he had almost missed his train a few days back as he got stuck in the traffic right near the station.

"I had to get down from the auto and run to catch my train. That was a bad day and I almost missed the train," said Sudhir, a schoolteacher from Cuttack. The problems continue as the authorities are turning a blind eye to remove the encroachers.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said the zonal commissioner would be intimated and steps taken to remove the encroachments to facilitate passenger movement.