Commuters use gaps between delineators to cross roads on Ranihat Medical Road in Cuttack. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Aug. 3: Think twice before taking the Ranihat Road while heading towards College Square or the railway station as you may be caught in traffic jam for a long time.

For the past few days, the commuters have been having a tough time while negotiating rush at Ranihat Medical Road through which bulk of the vehicular traffic from the Bajrakabati and Mangalabag sides is being diverted.

Moreover, no four-wheeler, autorickshaw and other heavy vehicles are allowed to move straight towards College Square from the Ranihat side causing inconvenience to those who intend to go to the railway station.

“I was stuck in traffic jam for more than half-an-hour on Ranihat Medical Road yesterday. The traffic constable deployed there could hardly do anything to clear the road,” said Nishikant Mishra, 35, a commuter.

Mishra said there was utter chaos on Medical Road as the traffic was being diverted from the main road due to the ongoing construction of a drain for the past couple of days.

Earlier, there was similar kind of chaos on the road following the construction of a culvert by the roads and buildings department.

It is only few days that the vehicular traffic has resumed on the main road.

However, the construction and repair of another drain near Ranihat high school has forced the traffic officials to continue with traffic diversion keeping in view the heavy rush on the main road.

The local residents said that instead of diverting traffic from the Bajrakabati side, the vehicles coming from College Square and the railway station sides should be diverted towards Professorpara and the Medical Road side.

“Many commuters depend on autorickshaws to travel to railway station due to traffic congestion on Medical Road,” said a local resident.

Moreover, many diagnostic centres have come up on Ranihat Medical Road connecting S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital.

Thousands of vehicles, including autorickshaws, ferrying patients from far off places commute through the road.

On the other hand, the traffic officials said adequate steps had been taken to regulate the Ranihat and Medical Road traffic.

“At present, one officer apart from 10 traffic constables have been deployed to regulate the rush in two shifts,” said a police officer.

“We have written to the concerned officials of the road and buildings department to carry out constructions at night keeping. Moreover, we have also sent proposal to introduce one-way on Ranihat Road,” the official said.