Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday pushed for a comprehensive traffic management plan for Bhubaneswar and Kataka, with emphasis on wider roads, smart traffic signals, flyovers and other measures to ease congestion in the twin cities.
Chairing a high-level review meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan, Majhi reviewed the Traffic Decongestion Plan for the twin cities and called for immediate steps to improve traffic movement as well as the overall appearance of the two urban centres.
The chief minister laid particular emphasis on improving and beautifying the roads connecting Bhubaneswar and Kataka and their surrounding areas. He directed the concerned departmental secretaries and officials to immediately repair major roads and traffic junctions that are in poor condition.
Majhi also stressed the need for construction and expansion of eight-lane roads at key locations to ensure smoother traffic movement. He called for measures to provide seamless connectivity for pilgrims and tourists travelling from Kataka to Puri through Bhubaneswar.
The meeting also discussed several measures to improve traffic management, including the development of major junctions, construction of flyovers and overbridges at important locations, installation of smart traffic signal systems and CCTV cameras, and steps to curb illegal parking.
The chief minister directed the Police Commissionerate, Urban Development Department, Works Department and local administration to work in close coordination to improve traffic infrastructure and make the twin cities cleaner, better organised and safer for commuters.
Officials were also asked to focus on improving connectivity and traffic flow on key stretches between Bhubaneswar and Kataka, particularly those witnessing heavy vehicular movement.
The proposed measures are aimed at ensuring smoother traffic movement for daily commuters while also improving connectivity for visitors travelling towards Puri, a major pilgrimage and tourist destination.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Development Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Saswata Mishra, Principal Secretary of the Works Department Sanjay Kumar Singh, Commissioner of Police of the Bhubaneswar-Kataka Police Commissionerate Suresh Dev Datta Singh and other senior departmental officials attended the meeting.
