Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma deserves full marks for taking a wonderful initiative to create a beautiful riverfront in Guwahati. Inaugurated on Friday by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, it has been described as a transformative urban initiative developed to blend nature, culture and modern design. While Guwahati’s Brahmaputra riverfront is about six km from Raj Bhavan to the eastern foothills of Nilachal, the first phase opened for the public covers only 1.2 km. Named Sati Radhika Shanti Udyan, it has cost the government about Rs 327 crore. The park includes a 15-metre-wide boulevard, landscaped walkways, cycling tracks, children’s play areas, open gyms, and Assamese-themed gateways, and has given a tremendous and unimaginable facelift to the city’s riverfront. Those who had seen the riverfront way back in the 1960s and 1970s would recall that it was a stinking stretch because a major section of the floating population and daily wagers had shamelessly used it for open defecation. That the riverfront was used for defecation in the past by residents of Guwahati even 150 years ago has been very clearly mentioned in the famous Report on The Province of Assam, attributed to Justice AJ Mofatt Mills, of 1853. Barring the ferry ghats and the bamboo traders, the riverfront had remained unutilised until, for the first time in 1992, a unique ‘beach festival’ was organized in the very section which has now become the Sati Radhika Shanti Udyan. Since then, several agencies, both government and private, have been utilizing portions of the riverfront for holding various kinds of fairs and festivals. Guwahati is an ancient city and, having been in existence in the same place since the mythological period, deserves more development. But when it comes to the term ‘development’, every citizen and taxpayer would probably point at certain more urgent priorities. These include a proper drainage and stormwater management mechanism, a scientific garbage disposal system, protection of the hills, wetlands, rivers and streams, regeneration of green patches, a well-planned public transport system, open spaces, public toilets, strict implementation of traffic rules, multi-level parking lots, and above all, safe piped drinking water for all taxpayers. After all, every citizen dreams of converting Guwahati into an ideal city providing a high quality of life through robust physical infrastructure, accessible social services, and sustainable inclusive planning. These necessities ensure basic human needs are met while fostering economic and social growth. It is high time the agencies like Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Guwahati Smart City Ltd (GSCL) and the Urban Development department, and individuals like the GMC Mayor and Councillors, the four MLAs representing the four Assembly segments which cover the city, the Lok Sabha member representing Guwahati, and the Rajya Sabha members from Assam also take these issues into account and do their respective bits.