Odishatv Bureau

Bhubaneswar: Raising questions on the importance of free passage to ambulances in smart city, today an incident of an ambulance carrying a critical patient and getting stuck for over five minutes in a serpentine queue of vehicles near Forest park here has shocked one and all. The ambulance was stuck in traffic chaos  that had accumulated in all the subways connecting the Forest Park-AG Square to give way to CM Naveen Patnaik’s carcade.

As per sources, vehicular traffic from all four directions were stopped resulting in heavy traffic jam on one of the city's busiest stretches. The ambulance which was stuck up in front of BJD party office was carrying a mother and her critically ill child.

"This is a regular affair on this road and it often takes around half an hour to cross it," said the driver of the ambulance.

Reacting to the incident Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Niranjan Patnaik said in a tweet, "The feudalistic mindset of CM "sahab" on full display. Is the convenience of our CM more important than the life of a patient? This VVIP culture must end! There is nothing more important than a human life.”

On the other hand, Ruling-BJD spokesperson, Sasmit Patra said "It is very sad if anything of that sort happened; the Odisha government is aware of its responsibilities; going forward proper traffic arrangements will be made."

Being a major thoroughfare connecting the Naveen Niwas and Secretariat,  this is a daily problem faced by the commuters and ambulances are no exception. Unfortunately the city’s premier government hospital  - the Capital hospital -  is also situated besides  the same road that gets choked every time a carcade passes.

scrollToTop