Bhubaneswar: The Capital city, Sunday, witnessed severe traffic congestion at the prominent puja mandap areas here. The absence of rain also played a major role in the congregation of huge number of devotees at the puja pandals. The devotees are thronging to the pandals to relish the swanky and grand medhas and pandals. The various entertainment events at the puja places have also been attracting a good number of people.
The traffic policemen were found laboring hard to manage these huge gatherings at the mandaps. Earlier, the Commissionerate Police have prohibited the plying of heavy vehicles in the city during Puja in order to avoid traffic snarls. However, the favourable weather is becoming a headache for the Commissionerate Police. Many pandals especially on the Puri-Cuttack road also don’t have enough parking places. As a result the devotees who are coming by cars can be seen paying obeisance to the goddess from inside their vehicles.
It takes almost half an hour to travel just five hundred meters in some areas like the stretch from Vani Vihar to Rasulgarh square.
The traffic woes will intensify in the coming two days making it difficult to ply on the roads especially from evening till midnight.