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Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008
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Drive to streamline use of road-space

Staff Reporter

Phone, milk and chicken booths to be shifted

Some booths are using more than allotted space, says BMC Commissioner
Consultants asked to suggest design for the booths

BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to streamline traffic along main roads and make the city look better, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to shift all telephone, milk and chicken booths to sub-roads and lanes giving them uniform shape and colour.

The decision has been taken after operators of these booths were noticed to be using additional public utility spaces along the main roads leading to traffic jam and inconvenience to people at large.

In the first phase, all telephone booths and cabins of the Orissa State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (Omfed) and the Orissa Poultry Federation (Opolfed) would be shifted from the main road connecting Biju Patnaik Airport and Damana.

Subsequently, the road from the airport to Acharya Vihar and Sishu Bhawan Square to Vani Vihar would be taken up. A formal notification would be issued within a couple of days from now.

“General Administration department, which manages land of the capital city, has given us permission to shift booths to sub-roads. We have already taken the operators of Omfed and Opolfed into confidence.

They have agreed to move out from their original place,” BMC Commissioner Aparajita Sarangi said on Monday.

A joint survey by BMC officials and Omfed and Opolfed operators was taken up recently and appropriate pieces of land were allotted to them accordingly, Ms. Sarangi said.

She said while Opolfed proprietors would have to restrict their activities to 120 sq ft space, those running telephone and Omfed booths would be allowed to use 100 sq ft of land each.

“If anybody violates the guidelines and goes beyond stipulated area, stringent action will be taken against them.

Not a single chair would be allowed in front of the booths,” Ms. Sarangi said.

While Omfed and Opolfed would retain their old colour of sky blue and yellow respectively, the STD booths were likely to be painted in deep pink, BMC sources said. There are about 66 Opolfed booths, over 300 Omfed cabins and 70 telephone booths.

“We have approached private consultants to suggest design for these booths. We want to maintain uniformity. Operators are ready to shift and invest as they are being assured of their stability in the city,” the BMC commissioner said.

The process of shifting should be completed within 15 days, she said.

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