Wakeup Call For Odisha CM, Traffic Congestion Throws Bhubaneswar Out Of Gear

Another embarrassing moment for the Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Two years have gone by and there is no sign of the much-needed Bhubaneswar Metro project yet. Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar has been thrown out of gear because of severe traffic congestion thus making daily commuting a nightmare. Every day there is a traffic jam from 9 am to 11 am and 5pm to 11pm. The bumper to bumper traffic around Patia Bhubaneswar has resulted in two-wheeler riders merrily using the footpath thereby making pedestrians’ lives miserable. Many shoppers say this traffic congestion is forcing them to order their stuff online. Moreover, Odiya’s are fed up hearing that Bhubaneswar Metro project is temporarily suspended and not cancelled. The outcry for the Metro project is growing. Sensing the mood of the people, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi has written to the chief minister that a cost-efficient metro train project is essential for Bhubaneswar and urban expansion. She posted on X that “Not doing the project would weaken trust in development promises”. According to her, Metros are subsidised and not built for profit, noting that, BJD government had earlier spent Rs 274 crore in the Metro project and the Majhi government chose to suspend it. The final takeaway now is Bhubaneswar Metro project’s inter-ministerial committee will now examine the project once again and a final decision will be taken soon. Urban planners say just decongesting the current roads through metro rail will not be enough, they say Bhubaneswar requires a long term multifaceted rule-based urban planning.