Patna: Constructions bring traffic to a halt

PATNA: Commuters are facing problems while passing through several ongoing infrastructure project sites in the state capital.
Though the upcoming projects like R Block-Digha Road, Lohia Path Chakra and widening of Danapur-Saguna Mor are set to change the urban landscape of the city, the residents and commuters are having a harrowing time in passing through these stretches nowadays.
Residents of Rajiv Nagar and other areas connected with the under construction R Block-Digha road are annoyed with frequent and prolonged snarls at the erstwhile Rajiv Nagar railway crossing where a flyover is being constructed under the project.
Rajiv Nagar resident Chandan Kumar said he was stuck in a traffic snarl between the erstwhile railway crossing and Rajiv Nagar drain for more than two hours on Saturday evening. “My car along with hundreds of other vehicles, including an ambulance, was stuck in a jam for nearly two hours in the evening. This is basically due to flyover construction and parking of vehicles engaged in the construction work near the site. There is hardly any space for the vehicles to move and the situation worsens during the evening hours,” he said.
Bihar State Road Development Corporation (BSRDC) managing director Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said that the R Block-Digha road will be ready by June and will provide much respite and better connectivity to people on this stretch.
The construction works make traffic movement slow in several other areas connected with Bailey Road, R-Block and Saguna Mor. Residents of several localities, including Khagaul, Danapur, Bailey Road and Saguna Mor claimed that they face frequent traffic jams due to damage or absence of road dividers on the road in between DRM office and Saguna Mor.
“Trrafic snarl between Saguna Mor and Danapur railway station has become a regular feature because of ongoing road widening works and trucks parked on either side of the road. At times, it takes more than an hour to cover this stretch of around 3km,” said Vikas Ranjan, a local resident.
Agarwal, who is also the Patna divisional commissioner, said that issues leading to snarls and accidents on Saguna Mor-Danapur road are being removed. “Proper dividers are being installed. No unauthorized cuts will be kept on this road in order to ensure public safety and avoid road mishaps. Also, proper dividers are being constructed,” he said.
Similarly, the ongoing construction work on Lohia Path Chakra project causes slow traffic movement on the stretch of Bailey Road between Lalit Bhavan and Hartali Mor. The stretch towards BPSC office has been closed for construction of an underpass. In a bid to ease vehicular congestion, one flank of elevated road in front of Lalit Bhavan was opened for vehicular movement on Thursday.
Similarly, the 1.27km-long R Block flyover from Mithapur ROB to Bhikhari Thakur ROB on Hardinge Road via R-Block remains chock-a-block throughout the day. Vehicular movement on the two flanks of the flyover was supposed to begin from December last year, but it has been delayed by at least a month.
Meanwhile, commuters said vehicles move at a snail’s pace due to potholes created by the construction works. “The roads are not just damaged but they also have potholes. I get stuck in traffic at R-Block almost everyday,” said Zeeshan, a resident of Anisabad.
State road construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav said the problem will be solved with completion of works on flyover sites this year.