The under-construction culvert on Old Secretariat Road. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, April 3: Delay in renovating a culvert has made life difficult for people plying one of the busiest roads in the city.

Residents as well as commuters are having a trying time navigating Old Secretariat Road here in the city because of an inordinate delay in the construction and renovation of a culvert near Nari Seva Sadan located here.

According to residents, the work to renovate the culvert began in the month of February but is yet to be completed.

“It has been over two months since the work to widen the culvert began. But an inordinate delay in the completion of the project has now started to affect our lives. The foul smell from the drain full of stagnant wastewater is too much to bear,” said Krishna Rao (45), a local resident.

According to Rao, authorities of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation are not ensuring that the work is carried out on a regular basis, causing a delay in completing the project.

Old Secretariat Road is one of the busiest roads in the city. Every day, hundreds of vehicles ply the road which acts as a link between Old Secretariat, Buxi Bazaar, Cantonment Road, Barabati Stadium and the other busy areas.

“We welcome any developmental work. But it is unfortunate that people are forced to suffer because of delay in completion of such projects. Moreover, the work on prominent roads should be done in a speedy manner so that the commuters do not suffer,” said Kishore Das (45), a commuter.

A small passage created to ease pressure and allow vehicles from either side to pass through has actually led to traffic chaos, as many four-wheelers force their way in.

It is a very small passage, and the authorities should either restrict the entry of cars and auto-rickshaws or divert traffic from main roads to avoid congestion near the construction site, another commuter said.

Local councillor Rita Mohanty, however, said that the work is on in full swing and is expected to be completed soon and that there were bound to be some problems for the residents until the project is completed. “The problem of drainage in the area, particularly at Police Line, is expected to be solved after the completion of the project which is being done in a phased manner,” said Mohanty.

Heavy machines were used to dig up the channel yesterday and the culvert, which is one of the oldest channels in the city, would be widened by additional 8 to 9 feet.

The cost of the project was estimated to be around Rs 9 lakh. It is expected to be completed within 15 days. Moreover, a small passage has been created for allowing the commuters to pass through the road, the councillor added.