Roadside vendors (above) and illegal parking (below) create traffic chaos at Fandi Square in Balasore. Telegraph pictures

Balasore, Aug. 30: Lack of parking space and roadside encroachments are causing serious traffic congestion on the major roads of this district headquarters township.

Traffic chaos caused by encroachment by various makeshift shops, street vendors and extension of permanent establishments has been acute near prominent traffic junctions of this town, such as Fakir Mohan Circle, Station Square, Cinema Square, Fandi Square and Police Lines Square.

Fandi Square, which is also known as Biju Patnaik Square, has been the most congested intersection in town, especially during festive seasons.

“Traffic is virtually at a standstill at Fandi Square. All efforts made by the district administration and the municipality in the past to evict roadside encroachments have seemed to yield no result,” said Pradeep Das, a daily commuter.

Fandi Square is a four-way junction of Old Trunk Road, Vivekananda Marg, Station Road subway and a daily vegetable and fish market. The area remains heavily crowded throughout the day. During the summer, roadside soft drink shops only add to the existing traffic woes.

Though there is a traffic post at Fandi Square, which is manned during peak hours, local residents feel it hardly serves any purpose.

“The square is choked from all directions. There is no parking space,” said Ananta Rana, a resident of the town.

Even traffic constables admit that the situation at Fandi Square is beyond their control.

“Since the branch roads are all choked, there is hardly anything left for us to regulate,” said a traffic constable.

A senior police officer said: “It is the duty of the municipality to evict roadside encroachments and provide parking space. In the absence of these two basic things, it is difficult to manage traffic here.”

The municipal authorities said they had undertaken an awareness drive a few months ago to sensitise street vendors before enforcing eviction.

“We do not get adequate cooperation from various quarters while trying to evict encroachers. There is a lot of pressure from various levels,” said an officer of Balasore Municipality.