Topography and Hydrography Survey needed for Historic Dhubri Town

A Correspondent

DHUBRI: Unscientific and haphazard construction of roads and drains by various departments without topography and hydrography survey have clogged the drainage and main water channels, resulting in flood and waterlogging and also stagnation of water all through the town.

In construction of roads and drains being carried by PWD (Road), Dhubri Municipal Board, Dhubri Town, and Country Planning, and Dhubri Zila Parishad, no coordination was maintained among them and without Topography and Hydrography survey, an important prerequisite of any construction road and drainage work, particularly when the town is historic and prone to perennial flood and waterlogging.

The few low-lying areas of the town, including Shantinagar, Balurchar, Newghat, and Subhasnagar, remain inundated round the year due to faulty construction of roads and drains in the town, residents alleged.

Even one of the most important (1.5 km) PWD road from Bidyapara More via Nuniapatty to Dhubri river port, constructed with concrete blocks at Rs. 1.4 crores, also did not follow this criterion.

Further, nearly 2 km of Amco Road from Nuniapatty to Wimco, one of the longest PWD roads of the town, was constructed and completed without the survey of topography and hydrography, a source close to the PWD department alleged.

Dhubri town was one among the eight towns in the State which was sanctioned Rs. 100 crore in the budget last year for development works. The proposal of 22 roads, including Netaji Subhash Road, with load-bearing drains of Dhubri town, was submitted long back by a consultancy and construction group to the then PWD Minister, Parimal Suklya Baidya last year with a plan and estimate of around Rs. 90 crores, but it is yet to be sanctioned, an official informed. So, a topography and hydrography survey, not manually but by satellite, is required as the historic Dhubri town is surrounded on three sides by rivers with clogging of outlets and switch gates, and from now on, no road should be allowed to be constructed without both sides retaining walls of the drains, a retired engineer of PWD said.

Also Read: 20th Death Anniversary of Dr Pannalal Oswal observed in Dhubri

Also Watch: Minister Phani Bhushan Choudhury’s sudden visit in Guwahati’s Beltola Market