Vehicles enjoy a free run in the absence of traffic constables at the Upper Telenga Bazar crossing. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, April 14: Traffic officials of the Silver City seem to be finding it hard to come up with mechanisms to streamline traffic movement here.

Lack of scope for expansion of major roads and rising number of vehicles has started to affect the city’s traffic movement, leading to chaos on its major streets and crossings such as the Upper Telenga Bazar crossing.

Despite being one of the busiest roads and a four-way crossing, no step has been taken to regulate disorganised traffic here.

“The streets here struggle to accommodate rising number of vehicles. As a result, it is getting tough to cope up with traffic congestion, which has become a regular feature on this part of the city,” said Ashok Das (55), a commuter.

The Upper Telenga Bazar crossing acts as a connecting link between many areas of the city. There is a heavy rush of traffic here. But surprisingly, no traffic constable has been deployed to regulate traffic here.

“Vehicles from Firingi Bazar, Town Hall, Ring Road and Puri Ghat areas converge at the Upper Telenga Bazar Road which acts as a connecting link among the respective areas. Moreover, it has now become an accident-prone crossing as commuters coming from Town Hall side can hardly see vehicles rushing from the Firing Bazar side, because of the residential buildings on the roadsides,” said Kamal Sharma (56), another commuter.

According to local residents, there is always a heavy rush of vehicles on this major crossing as many commuters use the road to travel to Firingi Bazar, Choudhry Bazar and high court. Keeping in view the rush of traffic during the peak hours, traffic constables should be immediately deployed at the crossing.

But a traffic official, however, added that Upper Telenga Bazar is a self regulated crossing and there are no plans for deployment of traffic constables here in the near future. “However, steps will be taken to regulate traffic movement here in subsequent phases,” the official added.