Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The state government spends crores of rupees to create public assets, but lack of maintenance renders them in a shabby condition after some time. There is a need for the government to issue clear guidelines on the maintenance of such public assets.
The condition of the footbridges, public toilets, water ATMs, ISBT, and other public facilities in Guwahati reflect the shortcomings in their maintenance. The poor maintenance is causing the most frequently used footbridges in front of the state secretariat at Dispur, Lachitnagar, and Paltan Bazar to suffer. The Lachitnagar footbridge has become a shelter for beggars and the homeless, who use it to store various items, turn it into a toilet, and dump garbage near the staircases. People, particularly women, find it revolting to use the footbridge, and they cross the road at their own hazard. The same unclean situation prevails at the Dispur footbridge. The Paltan Bazar footbridge is best avoided, as it has turned into a safe haven for drug abusers to take drugs and other substances, apart from other kinds of misuse.
The question arises as to who is responsible for proper upkeep of the footbridges and other public facilities. The government spends huge sums of money to create such assets, but their maintenance is sadly lacking.
Under the Guwahati Smart City Project, around 12 water ATMs were installed at various places in the city, but they have become non-functional due to lack of maintenance. The public toilets in the city present a similar situation. People can barely use them because of the unsanitary conditions. Although people pay to use these facilities, there is no proper maintenance or cleaning of the toilets.
The poor condition of the ISBT reflects the lack of maintenance. Hundreds of buses ply from ISBT daily, but the necessary facilities for passengers do not exist. Recently, the state government has decided to hand over the facility to a private party. It remains to be seen whether the decision will bring in the much-needed change.
A retired PWD official said that the state government builds or creates infrastructure, but the fund for their maintenance is not kept aside at the time of their development. Most officials of the concerned departments are neglecting the maintenance of the facilities they created, leading to their deterioration. “If you enter any small government office, you will see that they are in poor condition. There are patches on the walls from people spitting, and staircases are not maintained. There is now a trend of handing over public properties to private parties. But it is not clear who will be tasked with their maintenance. The upkeep of public facilities has now turned into a big challenge for the government,” he said.
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