A long row of two and three-wheelers, smothering fumes and blaring horns have become a routine for the regular commuters waiting at the Pithapur road stretch during peak hours. Pithapur acts as a thoroughfare between Bajrakabati, Dolomundai and Haripur roads. The road known for heavy traffic congestion has further narrowed with vehicles parked at will throughout the stretch. “Traffic congestion is the major problem at Pithapur which is one of the major commercial-cum-residential areas in the city. Here the width of the road is narrow and due to lack of adequate space for parking, vehicles stationed here hinder smooth flow of traffic,” said Pitambar Pradhan Das (49), a local resident.The market at Pithapur is one of the major and oldest in the city. The distance between two shops located on either sides of the road is hardly 50 metres. Even then people dont think twice before parking their vehicles at will to shop since there is no parking lot. This congests the road obstructing the flow of traffic. Locals said the road connecting Dolomundai Square with Choudhry Bazaar via Pithapur and Jhola Sahi is always jammed. Though many commuters prefer to travel to Choudhary Bazaar using the Haripur road, it has failed to ease traffic congestion at Pithapur.Cuttack Municipal Commissioner Rabi Narayan Nanda said the place has little scope for expansion of road. Parking on the road coupled with encroachments by vendors at certain points are adding to the woes. One of the primary reasons behind the traffic congestion is the wholesale cloth market that is presently located along the Pithapur, Jhola Sahi and Nandi Sahi stretch. The market with around 250 shops caters to the entire State and outside and has an annual turnover potential of around Rs 3,000 crore. In a bid to reduce the congestion, the Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) has proposed to shift the congested cloth market to a specialised complex at Markatnagar. “Shifting of this market will solve the traffic problems to a major extent in the area. A final decision in this regard will be taken at the high-level CDA meeting on June 28, said Nanda.Besides traffic congestion, lack of adequate measures to maintain cleanliness and sanitation in the area has been another reason of resentment among the residents of Pithapur.Sources said there are no dustbins and allotted dumping space in the colonies of Pithapur. As a result, garbage heaps along roadsides is a common sight and cleaning by sweepers is non-existent. Apart from this, there is no proper arrangement for free passage of water through drains and sub-drains within the localities as the main culvert is choked due to silt and garbage. Official sources said measures are being taken to maintain proper sanitation in the wards and things would improve subsequently.
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