Sambalpur: How Will ‘Mo Bus’ Travel on the Narrow Road?

Sambalpur: As the heart of Western Odisha, Sambalpur city is constantly expanding, with numerous development projects underway. However, in order to the population and quantity of vehicles, the city’s roads are not particularly broad. Roads are narrowing due to encroachment in many places. Shops, malls, houses, etc. have been constructed by confiscating the roads. In the name of lack of foresight and attractiveness, the city’s highways are being narrowed rather than broadened. As a result, city residents question how ‘Mo Bus’ will navigate such a narrow road.

The major and busiest road in Sambalpur is GM College Chowk to Kacheri Chowk. The construction of the flyover on this road has been completed after much controversy. However, the traffic condition stays unchanged from before and after. There is no road with the required width on both sides under the overbridge. The said road is also encroached at various places and people are facing problems due to reckless driving. As a result, a lot of small accidents are happening. How can ‘Mo Bus’ operate on such a road?

City dwellers face traffic congestion due to small roadways and an uncoordinated traffic system. Traffic jams are common, especially from GM College Chowk to Mudipada, Lakhmitalkies Chowk, Golbazar, and Municipality Chowk. While the ‘Mo Bus’ travels from Sambalpur to several railway stations such as Burla, Hirakud, and Chipilima, the road is restricted at several points. So road widening was definitely necessary before the launch of the ‘Mo Bus’ service.

But as it has been carried out in haste, the townspeople are disapproving of it. At various times, the administrative officials have said that strict measures will be taken to prevent the traffic problem, although this has yet to be implemented.

The principal objectives of the city’s development plans cannot be accomplished due to a lack of appropriate planning and coordination among multiple departments, resulting in the waste of public funds and unnecessary suffering for the population.