Traffic chaos on Jobra Road in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, April 17: Lack of adequate measures on part of civic officials to streamline traffic system has now started to affect the lives of hundreds of residents who are having a harrowing time because of frequent traffic congestions on prominent roads of the city.

The Jobra Road, which acts as lifeline for thousands of commuters, is also struggling to accommodate rising number of vehicles in the city.

The Jobra Road is one of the most vital connecting links between different areas of the city. There is a heavy rush on the long stretch of the road that acts as a connecting link between areas such as Mahanadi Vihar, Sikharpur and College Square.

“Despite being one of the busiest roads, no step is being taken to repair the stretch of road which is in bad shape, creating problems in the smooth flow of traffic,” said Satya Mohanty (55), a commuter.

A resident of Mahanadi Vihar, Mohanty uses the Jobra Road regularly to travel to College Square and the railway station area for marketing and business purposes.

Not a single road is free from traffic congestion these days and because of lack of adequate measures to streamline traffic on part of the officials, most of the crossings have become self-regulated, he added.

Notably, the Jobra Road also acts as a connecting link between areas like Jagatpur and Choudwar.

“Many people are now using the Ring Road to avoid traffic congestion in areas such as Mangalabag, Ranihaat, and Buxi Bazar. But this has failed to solve the traffic woes for the residents of one end of the city as they have to use the Jobra Road to travel to College Square from Bidanasi, CDA and Buxi Bazar areas via Ring Road,” said Mohammad Yusuf, another commuter.

“Apart from frequent traffic jams, accidents because of rash driving has also become an area of concern as no step is being taken towards establishing traffic order on the road,” said Bikram Mohanty, local resident.

On the other hand, civic officials informed that steps are being taken for repairing Jobra Road, the condition of which has deteriorated at some places.

Sources in the traffic police said that a lot of effort is being put towards streamlining traffic in the city. However, encroachment on both sides of the road in many areas is creating problems in the smooth flow of traffic.

“Adequate steps are being taken to ensure smooth flow of traffic. A lot of awareness campaigns have also been launched towards enforcing traffic rules. Similarly, drives are also being launched to put a check on illegal parking and rash driving,” said an official.