Construction materials dumped at Tinikonia Bagicha in Cuttack. Picture by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, May 9: Heaps of construction material dumped on the roadside have become a major hurdle in maintaining smooth flow of traffic in the city.

Traffic police officers are blaming the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) for not taking measures to check such dumping.

“There are provisions that state that no construction material can be dumped on the roadside which would create obstruction in the free flow of traffic,” said a senior traffic officer.

Following the Orissa Urban Police Act, traffic officials are slapping fines of Rs 500 on contractors and all those responsible for obstructing traffic with construction material such as sand, machines and other items.

“We have repeatedly been imposing fines ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 for such violations. However, adequate measures are yet to be taken by the civic body to ensure that the road is not blocked in the name of development,” said the officer, requesting anonymity.

The CMC is currently engaged in repair and renovation of surface drains ahead of the monsoon. This is an annual feature in the civic body’s itinerary.

The corporation spends around Rs 1.5 crore annually towards a desiltation drive and at the same time, steps are also taken to repair the drains ahead of the rainy season.

However, the bulk of construction items are dumped on the road, leaving little space for the movement of traffic even on busy roads.

“It is now almost two weeks since work on a drain began at Tinikonia Bagicha. The bulk of construction material has been dumped on the roadside which is creating a traffic hazard here,” said Subrat Moharana, a local resident.

Moharana said similar problems had also cropped up during the repair work for a drain at Mangalabag a couple of months ago.

“The CMC has failed to exercise the Orissa Municipal Corporation Act that empowers a civic body to punish road encroachers,” said Rakesh Sahu, a resident of Buxi Bazar.

Sahu said contractors and others were freely dumping construction material such as sand, bricks, stone chips and iron rods on the roadside, which was creating problems for commuters.

Under the Orissa Municipal Corporation Act, the corporation had the power to impose a fine ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 500 on those who encroach upon the road. Ironically, the corporation itself was violating such regulations, Sahu said.

Despite several attempts, CMC officials could not be contacted for comment on the issue.