Bhubaneswar: The civic body has removed all extended PNG iron pipe heads which were installed carelessly along the busy Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan Road after safety concerns were raised. The pipe heads were removed from near three major junctions, such as Nalco Square, Damana Square and Patia Square, where the pipes were found popping out at least 4ft above ground level, posing a serious risk to commuters and pedestrians.Road safety experts and several residents had raised alarms over the hazardous placement of the utility infrastructure. “This is not the first time they did it,” Raman said.In Feb, TOI had reported the issue, highlighting how the exposed iron pipes, installed right on the carriageway, became potential accident spots, especially for two-wheeler riders and commuters at night.The authorities have now reinstated the pipe heads inside adjacent inner lanes at designated points which do not obstruct traffic or pedestrian movement. “It was a long-pending safety issue. These pipes were waiting to cause an accident. Their removal has brought huge relief to commuters. Contractors doing such work should refrain from repeating the mistake,” road safety activist P V Raman said.Ananya Patra, a resident of Patia, said pedestrians often struggled to spot the pipes during rush hours. “With traffic rushing past, those iron rods were extremely dangerous,” she added.City mayor Sulochana Das said that they coordinated with utility agencies to address the issue. “Infrastructure development cannot happen at the cost of public safety. We ensured that the pipe heads were relocated to safer locations,” she added.In a related move aimed at preventing such occurrences in the future, BMC recently made it mandatory for all utility agencies and individuals to obtain road-cutting permission exclusively through online mode. “The digital approval system will help us monitor road cutting, ensure timely restoration and fix accountability. We have already issued the directive and are providing permission to the agencies only through the online mode,” the mayor added.Road safety experts welcomed the steps, saying better coordination and strict enforcement were essential to keep Bhubaneswar’s arterial roads safe. “The carriageways should be kept free of any kind of obstacle,” Raman said.
