Why do outcries over traffic snarls at Six Mile fall on deaf ears of traffic managers?

Staff reporter

Guwahati: The shoddy traffic management by traffic police personnel manning the traffic juncture below the flyover at Six Mile in Guwahati continues to add woes to the already messy vehicular traffic. This traffic mismanagement continues to be a chronic one. Strangely enough, hardly any traffic police personnel are seen on duty at this traffic point between 12 noon and 3 pm.

Permanent malfunctioning of the traffic signal light system at the juncture of VIP Road and Panjabari Road facing the VIP Road and slackness of the part of the traffic police manning this traffic point continue to create a mess of honking vehicles lined up from nose to tail.

As if to make the situation worse, of late a city bus stop has come up on the service road in front of GNRC Hospital for buses heading to Ganeshguri. How judicious allowing a bus stop in such a congested road is an open question. This is apart from the problems created for commuters due to the repair work of the flyover, where several structures have not been removed as yet.

  Such undisciplined practices severely hinder the traffic flow. Adding to the chaos, some careless motorists choose to drive in the wrong direction, exacerbating the gridlock and leaving residents and commuters exasperated.

The Jayanagar-Six Mile junction in Guwahati, once a vital and efficiently functioning traffic point, has now become a symbol of urban traffic mismanagement and public frustration. Linking critical neighbourhoods such as Wireless, Beltola, and Rukminigaon via the narrow and overburdened Tongra Sattra Road, the junction is groaning under the weight of unchecked congestion, inadequate infrastructure, and a glaring lack of administrative coordination.

The shoddy traffic management of the vehicles coming from the VIP Road and the Panjabari Road by the traffic police personnel continues to aggravate the situation further. It baffles every right-thinking person as to why the traffic managers of the city continue to take the issue of messy traffic at Six Mile in a light vein despite frequent reporting by this newspaper.

Recent technical glitches with the Six Mile flyover have resulted in a blanket restriction on the movement of heavy vehicles and buses over the structure. Consequently, these vehicles are now being diverted to the narrow service lanes that flank the flyover. This shift has choked the service lanes beyond capacity, creating long queues and bumper-to-bumper traffic throughout the day.

As if to make matters worse, city buses-especially during rush hours-are seen stopping indiscriminately in the middle of the road to pick up or drop off passengers.

"It's a daily struggle. Buses stop anywhere they please, and drivers don't follow any rules. Even pedestrians are at risk because they have to weave through stalled traffic," said a daily commuter who travels from Beltola to Ganeshguri.

The traffic mayhem further escalates on Sundays, thanks to the weekly Beltola Bazaar. Vendors occupy substantial stretches of road space to set up their stalls, leaving barely any room for moving vehicles. The marketplace, essential for the livelihoods of hundreds of vendors, transforms the already congested junction into a near standstill. Residents and shopkeepers have repeatedly voiced their concerns about the bazaar being allowed to operate without proper traffic planning.

"The market is important, but there has to be a system. Right now, it's just chaos. People park anywhere, and roads are blocked. It's impossible to get through," said a local trader.

Meanwhile, Tongra Sattra Road, used as an alternative link, has its own share of problems. Extremely narrow, poorly lit, and lacking any visible traffic management, the road is literally a danger zone at night, particularly after 9 pm when heavy vehicles are permitted on it.

"I avoid that road after dark. It's scary and unsafe. One wrong move, and there could be a serious accident," a resident of Rukminigaon said.

Adding to the urban mess is a jurisdictional tug-of-war between Dispur and Basistha police stations, with both refusing to take responsibility for traffic enforcement at the junction. "That section doesn't fall under our jurisdiction," officials from both sides claim, revealing a bureaucratic deadlock that leaves the area practically lawless in terms of traffic regulation.

Despite the presence of barricades and some traffic personnel, enforcement remains weak. Drivers routinely flout rules, pedestrians jaywalk freely, and wrong-way driving is a common sight. The lack of accountability and urban planning has rendered temporary fixes like barricading largely ineffective.

Experts and locals are demanding a coordinated action plan. Immediate flyover repairs, designated bus stops, stricter traffic enforcement, a proper vending zone for the Beltola market, and clear administrative jurisdiction are seen as essential steps to resolve the crisis.

The situation at Jayanagar-Six Mile is a glaring reminder of Guwahati's broader infrastructural challenges. Without urgent and cohesive intervention by civic authorities, the area risks becoming a permanent choke point in the city's expanding transport network.

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