Road barricades in city forever!

Sir,

Recently in Bhubaneswar, I was appalled to see barricades on busy roads, particularly those that often see high-speed traffic. Upon close observation of these poorly-maintained structures, the barricades appeared to have been erected by police and then conveniently forgotten. Furthermore, I concluded that these were alternatives for road humps, particularly at intersections  I was also told that these barricades come in handy during “Nakabandi” operations, which makes complete sense when there is law enforcement on site to direct the traffic. However, when such an operation has been concluded, wouldn’t it make sense (in the interest of public safety) to keep them aside? Should these structures be destined to become a permanent feature, a warning sign erected to warn drivers might be a viable “band-aid” solution? Particularly for tourists who come out of town in their swanky and powerful cars, such barricades could serve as an invitation to the hospital or a nearby morgue! While there is so much talk about making Bhubaneswar tourist-friendly, I think it is high time the district administration and the police department did something to curb this problem.

K Ravi, E-237, GGP Colony, Bhubaneswar-751025, Mob: 9437616497