Are GMC workers busy beavers? Dark stretch of city road says so

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 29: Are the GMC employees busy beavers, that too, with festivals? If what GMC Ward No. 8 Councilor Sunita Bhilwaria told this reporter has anything to go by, the employees of the civic body are too busy with festivals.

The entire stretch of AK Dev Road from Bharalumukh to Gorchuk via Ganeshpara is dark. People have to grope in the dark on this road when the sun sinks and the miscreants like chain stchers, burglars and thieves take this advantage to make money. The local people say that girls and women are the most vulnerable ones. Incidents of thefts, chain stching, burglary etc., are very frequent on the road.

The stretch of the road from Bharalumukh to Fatasil Charial has streetlights, but not to glow. The Fatasil Chariali to Gorchuk stretch the road does not have streetlights at all. After 8 pm, one has to go by that road at his/her own risk.

This is not the only problem on the road. The lack light has made the road accident prone. Accidents are reported frequently on the road.

When this reporter asked GMC Ward No. 8 Councilor Sunita Bhilwaria as to why the road is not being illumited, she said: “When we were about to start the road illumition work the GMC workers remained busy with the mami Brahmaputra Festival. The civic body failed to spare any workers for us to get the work done. Then came the Ambubachi Mela. You know, how busy was the GMC with the Mela!”

However, there is no mela now, yet the work for illumition of the streetlights has not been started. It is also not certain if the stretch of the road that has streetlights will at all glow or not and the stretch without streetlights will get them fitted.

The statement given by the councilor has few takers as there was certainly ample time for them to get the work done before the mami Brahmaputra Festival.