BHADRAK: Road travel in and around Bhadrak, particularly the district headquarters town, is fraught with risks. The commuters have to find their way through potholes, the virtual death-traps, that dot the lanes and by-lanes of the town. While riding during night hours is a challenge, untimely rains have only compounded the commuters’ woes. The numerous dilapidated roads in the municipal limits reveal the laid-back attitude of the authorities concerned. Barring the road from Kacheri Bazaar to By-pass Square, nearly 4 km, the rest 310-km roads have turned into virtual death-traps with pot-holes, ditches, over-flowing drains, damaged culverts, no black-topping and rubble. Around 100 persons have met with accidents in the town in six months. Once well maintained, the main thoroughfare of the town and the 5-km busy Puruna Bazaar road besides the 7-km road from Bonth Square to Randia are non-motorable. Some stretches like those from Thana Square to Chandan Bazaar and Chanda Bazaar to Bhadrak Kali temple had earned the sobriquet of accident-prone roads a year ago. Even as people have learnt to ride through the potholes, encroachments test their skills further. Similarly, illegal parking of trucks and buses along the road between Nehru Stadium and Bonth Square have turned unsafe for two-wheelers and pedestrians. Over five people, including two engineering students, have died in accidents on this stretch, said CPM leader Dibya Singh. The main thoroughfares from Tahasil Square to Ekata market and SBI traffic square to Private owners bus stand are choc-a-bloc from 7 am to 8 pm with the vendors turning them into a market. Acting on the encroachment complaint, three complexes were demolished last month after the High Court order. Bhadrak citizens met the Secretary, Urban Development Department, who was here last month to review municipal work and apprised him of the unsafe roads. Executive Officer of Bhadrak municipality Surendra Panda said steps were taken to repair the roads.
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