Hazaribag: The Hazaribag Municipal Corporation (HMC) would install modern traffic signal systems at 10 key intersections at an estimated cost of Rs 2.68 crore in a bid to streamline traffic movement and ease congestion across the town.Municipal commissioner Om Prakash Gupta said, “The initiative was aimed at strengthening the city’s traffic management infrastructure and improving road safety. Work on installing the traffic signals at the identified 10 locations would begin in the first phase following completion of the agreement process.”An agreement would be signed with Delhi-based Ficotechs Design Pvt Ltd for the project, which is scheduled to be completed within 13 months of the signing of the contract, civic officials said.Under the project, four-way traffic signals would be installed at eight intersections and three-way signals at two locations. The standalone, automated traffic management system would operate round the clock and regulate vehicular movement through programmed signal cycles.The 10 intersections are PTC Chowk, Zila Parishad Chowk, DVC Moad, Indpuri Patel Chowk, Sidhu Kanhu Chowk, Jhanda Chowk, Annada Chowk, Nilamber-Pitamber Chowk, Kachhari Chowk, and Korra Chowk.Besides traffic lights, control panels would be installed at key junctions to ensure more effective and systematic traffic management. The integrated system is expected to improve monitoring and coordination across major intersections, officials said.As part of the contract, the agency would maintain the traffic signals at its own cost for three years and be responsible for repairs for a total period of five years. After the maintenance period ends, operation and upkeep of the traffic signal network would be handed over to the traffic police.The project comes amid growing concerns over traffic congestion and increasing vehicular load in Hazaribag, with civic authorities hoping that automated signalling would help bring better discipline and efficiency to traffic movement across the city.
