Bhubaneswar, Sept. 9: City police have planned to crack the whip on people parking their vehicles illegally on Janpath creating traffic chaos.

The drive against illegal parking will begin next week and the police have planned to tow away vehicles parked illegally.

Though Janpath has been widened to an eight-lane road for smooth traffic flow, illegal parking on the road between Vani Vihar and Sishu Bhavan Square is obstructing free movement of vehicles.

A senior traffic officer said illegal parking on the road not only created problems for commuters but also traders and others working in nearby areas.

“Despite writing to the authorities concerned for building parking lots along this road, nothing has been done. We have been getting complaints about parking-related problems and will start a drive against unlawful parking,” said the officer.

He also added that since there were no designated parking lots along the Janpath despite many business establishments located along this road, the traffic police had allowed parking on the outer lanes on both the sides of the road till new parking spaces were built.

However, people keep parking their vehicles on the inner lanes during peak hours, creating heavy traffic jam. The worst-affected portions along this road are between Sishu Bhavan Square and Rajmahal Square, Rajmahal Square and Master Canteen Square, Master Canteen Square and Kharavela Nagar police station, near Ram Mandir and Big Bazaar Square and from IDBI Square to Rupali Square.

“We will tow away vehicles parked in the inner lanes and fine the offenders. We will instruct the traders not to allow illegal parking in front of their shops and inform us if such incidents take place,” said a traffic policeman.

Traders at Bapuji Nagar had written to the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police last year to provide them with parking lots. Though the city police had forwarded the letter to the public works department, which is carrying out the expansion work, and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation that manages parking lots in the city, there had been no development till date.

“People park their vehicles without thinking about the movement of other people or vehicles. Building owners on both sides of Janpath are renting out their places for commercial purposes without thinking of parking problems. The authorities must act against them,” said Sauribhushan Lenka, a government employee.

Deputy commissioner of police Nitinjeet Singh said they had identified 73 parking lots in the city for development. These included several spots along Janpath. “We had provided the report to the corporation, Bhubaneswar Development Authorities, the general administration department and other parties concerned, but no action has yet been taken for developing these parking lots,” said Singh.

An official of the corporation said the expansion work of Janpath was not complete. The expansion work has been stopped near Rajmahal Square because of delay in the construction of a flyover there.

Mayor Anant Narayan Jena said a joint team of officials from the corporation, the general administration department and the roads and building department, among others, had earmarked several spaces in the city for the development of parking lots. “Steps will be initiated very soon to develop these spaces into parking lots,” said Jena.