BHUBANESWAR: The T-junction near Kalpana Square here continues to pose problems for commuters sans proper traffic management.This stretch of the National Highway 203 has become dangerous as traffic from several approach roads converge here.The stream of traffic coming from Rajmahal Square, Mausima Temple, fire station, BJB College and Bhanja Kala Mandap join here and the junction can be found crowded at all hours of the day. With important institutions such as the State Museum, BMC office, District Court, BJB College and the Bhanja Kala Mandap, located along the stretch, even traffic policemen find the management difficult. The buses plying between Bhubaneswar and Puri halt at the Kalpana square making it difficult for the commuters to negotiate traffic. There are just two traffic police officers at Kalpana Square who manage the entire area, which is clearly inadequate.“There is a jam every now and then. One has to cross the road at one’s own risk,” said Vishnu Seth, a local vendor. Besides, as there are no road dividers near Kalpana, commuters often overshoot into the opposite lane. “People who have to go to the adjacent BMC road have to wait for a long time if the reverse lane is jammed. This worsens the traffic situation,” said Balaram Behera, a businessman. NHAI sources said that traffic pressure on the stretch was unlikely to ease till the bypass from Palasuni to Daya Bridge is constructed. “The flyover is a must here as the pressure of traffic keeps growing year after year,” an official of the State NHAI division said. On the other hand, the city traffic police admit managing the traffic at this T-junction is becoming difficult. “The roads from both the directions are not as wide as other T-junctions of the city which is the main problem. This hinders the free flow of traffic in the area,” said ACP (Traffic) Nirmal Satpathy. He said the situation will not improve till road is widened. Sources said tenders for the work have reportedly been floated.
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