The traffic management system in Odisha’s capital city broke down once again today, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded in a massive gridlock that stretched from Hanspal to Vani Vihar.
The prolonged delay caused severe hardship for daily travellers enduring scorching heat, while even emergency services were hit as an ambulance remained stuck in the standstill traffic.
The root cause of the chaos has been traced to a severe bottleneck near Palasuni, where a 6-lane stretch compresses abruptly into just 2 lanes. The sudden reduction in road capacity, combined with a total lack of traffic regulation on-site, turned the major highway artery into a crawling parking lot.
Adding fuel to the fire is the unrestricted movement of heavy goods vehicles and trucks through the city core during peak hours. Unlike other major urban centres across the country, where strict ‘No-Entry’ hours are enforced for heavy vehicles to prevent congestion, Bhubaneswar currently lacks effective restrictions.
The situation has triggered widespread public outrage against administrative apathy. Commuters have questioned why local authorities have failed to implement standard heavy-vehicle restrictions and proper lane management systems at key bottlenecks. Until structural fixes and traffic regulations are put into practice, everyday travellers in the capital continue to pay the price.
