Restrictions on wedding processions

The Odisha police has decided to impose blanket ban on marriage processions on some main routes in Odisha capital from February 1 to ensure free movement of ambulances to hospital and journey of train passengers and air- travellers to railway stations and airports. According to a notification issued to this effect, five routes that would remain out of bounds for marriage processions are New Airport Crossing to Acharya Vihar via AG Square, Raj Bhawan Chhak to KIIT Chhak via Jayadev Vihar, Kalpana Square to Raj Bhawan Chhak via AG Crossing, Vani Vihar Crossing to Sishu Bhawan Chhak and Cuttack Road – Rasulgarh Crossing to Rabi Talkies Chhak. The restriction over marriage processions in these routes is applicable during day time and night, it stated. “Road congestion is very often experienced on different roads of Bhubaneswar city due to marriage processions, as a result, difficulties are being faced by the general public in their smooth communication and they fail to reach their destination such as railway station, bus stand, airport and hospitals,” the notification stated. Essential services such as ambulance and fire service face difficulty in reaching their destination due to the obstruction caused by marriage procession at the main roads of Bhubaneswar, the released further added. Bhubaneswar- Cuttack Police Commissioner Yogesh Bahadur Khurania had earlier told that the reason for introducing the restriction is to avoid heavy traffic jams occur during movement of the wedding processions causing inconvenience to commuters. Sources said every year, the police grants permission for over 500 marriages out of which about 200 are usually observed on the arterial routes.