Construction of a drain creates traffic problems on the main road of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Nov. 1: The measures taken by the authorities and traffic police to put a complete check on the flow of vehicles on the campus of SCB Medical College and Hospital has not yet been possible.

The ongoing construction of a drain on the campus of the state’s biggest hospital has only added woes to the already existing traffic chaos, creating problems for patients and their attendants.

“There is complete disorder on the main road of the hospital because of the ongoing construction of the drain. This is creating a lot of problems for us,” said Bijay Das, 55, an attendant.

Das said there was always a rush of vehicles on the main road of the hospital. Moreover, as a drain on the campus is under construction for the last couple of months, it has further affected the flow of vehicles, including ambulances, inside the hospital.

The public health department is carrying out the drain construction. The project is estimated to cost more than Rs 5 crore. Once the drain comes up, it is likely to solve waterlogging problem inside the hospital.

Though the work is being carried out on a war footing, bulk of construction materials and other debris are dumped on the road, creating obstruction to the passage of vehicles. “The road in front of medicine and paediatric wards has reduced to half its size as a large portion of the road has been covered with construction materials. As a result, there is a very little space left for the passage of patients, their attendants and vehicles,” said Akshay Rout, 39, another attendant.

An official of the public health department, however, said work for the project had almost been completed.

Unrestricted flow of traffic on the main road inside SCB Medical College and Hospital has been a problem for long. The road, which connects the two main entrances to the hospital on the Mangalabag and Ranihat sides of Cuttack city, is a preferred shortcut for local commuters.

A lot of commuters from the Mangalabag and Ranihat sides use the hospital’s main thoroughfare to travel to either sides of the city to avoid traffic congestion on the main roads outside SCB.

To slam brake on unwanted entry of vehicles to the hospital campus, two traffic constables were deployed in August following a direction of the Orissa Human Rights Commission. This does not, however, seem to have stopped the entry of unwanted vehicles completely.

SCB authorities have also admitted that traffic movement was getting affected on its campus because of the ongoing drainage work.

“We have asked the public health department officials to remove construction items and other debris from places where work for construction of the drain has already been completed,” said SCB’s administrator Srikanta Mahapatra.