Will new foot overbridges in Guwahati create more traffic congestion?

GUWAHATI: The construction of new foot overbridges across the city has created a controversy among a section of people. The reason is that, people are now expressing concern over the construction of these bridges in certain stretches. They have alleged that proper planning and survey was not conducted before selecting the locations for the construction of these bridges.

Mainly, the two foot overbridges being constructed in the vicinity of Ganeshguri Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha flyover and another in front of South Guwahati Public Market, Christianbasti have caused a lot of woes for daily vehicular traffic.

Due to construction of these bridges, the roads have become narrow which has led to traffic congestion. Heavy traffic jams can be seen in the peripheries of the construction site every day.

Earlier, in view of the traffic woes of the city, the Government had reduced the number of the U-turns on certain stretches. Later higher dividers were erected to prevent unauthorized pedestrian crossing. In the beginning these moves were lauded by the city dwellers but also hindered a section of them as the pedestrian crossing points were reduced. Thus, for the convenience of these people, the Government decided to set up foot overbridges.

Apart from the above mentioned areas, four more foot overbridges are being constructed by the Lok Nirman Bibhag (LNB) in front of Taj Vivanta hotel, Khanapara; near Sukreswar Temple; Kamakhya Mandir road; and Adabari.

Rs 10 crore has been allocated for the construction of every foot bridge.

Talking to The Sentinel, Save Guwahati Build Guwahati general secretary Kailash Sarma said, "There is a need for foot overbridges in the city. But these bridges are not being constructed with proper planning and survey. Being an engineer I can notice that the locations of the foot overbridges on the GS Road stretch is not suitable. While constructing a foot overbridge, the authorities should keep in mind the traffic scenario that will exist after 15 to 20 years. It is being witnessed that these bridges on the GS Road will create traffic problems in the near future."

Further, he argued that proper planning was not done before constructing any of the foot overbridges across the city.

"Due to improper planning the foot overbridge near Sukreswar Temple had to be demolished and is currently being newly constructed. Similarly, the foot overbridge between Machkhuwa and Bharalumukh is being hardly used by the public as it was not constructed at a suitable location," Sarma opined.

"The bus stoppages near the bridges will create a chaotic traffic situation when city buses will line up to ferry passengers. Moreover, during the monsoon, the artificial floods will add to the woes of the citizen," Sarma underlined. Lastly, he stressed that there is time for the LNB to conduct a proper survey for the establishment of these bridges.

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