Lack of road sense disrupts traffic in Berhampur

BERHAMPUR: Deplorable roads and a spurt in traffic has compounded the woes of locals here. While municipal records suggest around 1,80,000 vehicles owned by around 60,000 households in the city, traffic police are having a harrowing time in streamlining the traffic. With vehicle owners choosing to park on the road, squeezing the space in the already narrow lanes, the city witnesses bottlenecks in almost every road. Several roads were commissioned in the last one year, however, none of them has met the deadline. With potholes in every street in the city, drivers are forced to concentrate more on the roads than surrounding traffic. “You might have an accident, if  not fully alert on the road,” rued Amulya Choudhury, a trader.Irresponsible driving and lack of traffic sense among the drivers have aggravated the situation.  “Even if you abide by traffic rules, you cannot assume other vehicles to follow the same these days. They lack riding sense,” rued a Central Government employee Ratnakar Sabat. Vehicles are allegedly parked ahead of the zebra lines  at busy junctions like Tata Benz and Town Hall Square. SDPO Sarat Mahapatra said action was taken to penalise errant drivers. Helmet-less drivers are also being fined, he said. “We are trying to ensure smooth flow of traffic at peak hours. However, people are also expected to drive responsibly, which is lacking,” Mahapatra added.