STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The traffic chaos outside Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) continued unabated, with the crucial hospital approach road remaining choked almost every day. During nearly two hours spent by this reporter on the stretch, not a single traffic personnel was seen deployed there, raising questions over who would take responsibility if an ambulance failed to reach GMCH on time.
The situation outside one of the State's most important healthcare institutions remained largely unchanged, with public buses, trekkers and e-rickshaws halting for long periods, private vehicles occupying both sides of the road and roadside vendors spilling onto footpaths and the carriageway.
Ambulances were forced to negotiate the same congested stretch while vehicles waited for passengers and pedestrians moved between stationary and moving traffic. The Sentinel had previously reported similar problems on the GMCH road, including vehicles blocking the way despite no-parking restrictions.
"We are doing social service here, not for ourselves," a public bus driver told this reporter when questioned about the prolonged halt of buses directly outside GMCH.
A green bus conductor said his vehicle had stopped for around 10 minutes. Asked about the permitted stopping time, he said, "I don't know about these rules; you can ask ASTC officials. As per them, we have been allowed to line up our buses here."
A local commuter said the combination of prolonged bus halts and vendors occupying footpaths had made the area almost impossible to navigate. "We can neither walk on the sidewalks nor safely on the road because of moving vehicles. It's a total mess," he said.
For patients and attendants, the congestion created an additional ordeal. An attendant accompanying his sister said an overbridge was needed to enable patients to cross the road safely.
Vendors, meanwhile, blamed the absence of designated vending spaces. "We have no other place or option but to set up our carts here. Where else will we go?" said a fruit seller outside the hospital gate.
A GMCH resident doctor said the congestion could have serious consequences during emergencies. "Buses, in fact, should not be parked here as it is a narrow road," the doctor said.
A traffic official said vehicles from Rupnagar, Dispur and Narakasur Hill converged at the entrance and admitted that ambulances faced major difficulties. According to the official, drivers often ignored signals while green buses also stopped in the middle of the road.
The recurring congestion was particularly striking given that the GMC had carried out eviction drives at Bhangagarh, citing obstruction to traffic and pedestrian movement. (Sentinel Land)
Yet the ground reality remained unchanged. If a road leading to a major hospital had no visible traffic enforcement for hours, questions remained over who was responsible for keeping an emergency corridor clear and who would answer if a life was lost waiting in the jam.
Also Read: Guwahati's GMCH Link Road: A Nightmare of Apathy & Poor Management