Bhubaneswar, Dec. 8: Traffic congestion at Sishu Bhavan Square, one of the busiest in the city, has emerged as a challenge for motorists.

The junction witnesses heavy traffic flow especially during peak hours from 10am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm. Around 20,000 vehicles pass through the area on a daily basis. The junction is important because motorists travelling towards the airport, Capital Hospital, BJB Nagar and Rajmahal Square pass through it.

The heavy flow of vehicles is not the only problem at the junction. Vehicles coming from the wrong side from Unit I and Forest Park also contribute to the mess. Another road between Sishu Bhavan Square and Rajmahal Square, which was lying unutilised because of a traffic post, was made operational in 2014. However, it has not helped ease traffic congestion at Sishu Bhavan Square.

"The number of vehicles passing through the junction contributes to the congestion at the square," said Debendra Mishra, 34, sales professional and resident of Forest Park. He said traffic gets immensely chaotic at the start of the flyover that leads to BJB Nagar and Old Town. "Vehicles scramble to pass through the narrow flyover and this often leads to severe congestion at the junction," he said.

The flyover is at the left side of the square from Rajmahal Square end. It is also used by vehicles coming from the Capital Hospital and airport end. Since vehicles coming from the Rajmahal Square end do not have to stop at the junction to take a left turn, traffic goes haywire during peak hours.

Another problem at the square is motorists driving on the wrong side of the road. In 2014, traffic police had closed a cut around 200 metres from the junction on the Rajmahal end as the spot had become prone to mishaps. Now, the motorists coming from Unit-I residential area travel on the wrong side to reach the junction. These vehicles pose a threat to the others coming from Capital Hospital side and travelling towards Rajmahal Square.

Tirthankar Behera, 38, state government employee and resident of Unit-I, said earlier policemen were posted at the junction to stop people from driving on the wrong side. "However, since the past year, with no monitoring whatsoever, it has become a free-for-all zone," he said. On the other hand, a few motorists said since the only cut on the stretch between Sishu Bhavan Square and Rajmahal Square is near Rajmahal Square, (a distance of one kilometre approximately), they are forced to drive on the wrong side risking their lives.

Considering the heavy flow of traffic from the square, the public works department had started construction of a Rs 41-crore underpass connecting Master Canteen with Sishu Bhavan Square back in 2014. The underpass was aimed at providing an alternative to motorists and also ease traffic congestion at the junction.

Deputy commissioner of police, Bhubaneswar, Satyabrat Bhoi said traffic police or home guard personnel would be posted at the Square to check the menace of wrong-side driving. "Besides, additional personnel will shortly be deployed to streamline traffic flow at the start of the flyover," he added.