DC's directive defied; many city roads muddy

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, April 21: A number of roads and lanes in Guwahati are notorious for sending up clouds of dust when there is drought and mud when there is rain. This happens in Guwahati where companies engaged in works like laying of pipes for water supply dare to turn a deaf ears to the directive of the deputy commissioner. If everything goes well, problems are just created.

These are the roads that were dug up by companies  like Gamon India and IVRCL under the JICA for laying of water-supply pipes.

At a meeting in his office on April 4, Kamrup (Metro) Deputy Commissioner M Angamuthu was on record asking the companies that laid pipelines for water supply under JICA to repair the damage done to the city roads by April 15. The meeting was attended, among others, by ADC Rajib Prakash Baruah, ACP (traffic) Prabjyoti Goswami, PWD engineers and representatives of the companies that dug up the roads.

The deadline set by the Deputy Commissioner is over, and most of the damaged roads are as it was on the day of the meeting – April 4. Such roads in the city are hellholes for users like schooling-going children, office goers and others, especially during rush hour. When there is drought such roads are infamous for dust clouds and when there is rain, such roads are muddy. They cause traffic jams.

The stretch of the road from Kamakhya Gate to Maligaon bears testimony to the fact as stated above. One side of the particular stretch of the road was dug up while laying pipelines for water supply some five months back. The company concerned has just spread some stones, covered them with a very thin layer of sand and washed its hands of it. After rainfall now, the sand has been removed and the stretch is muddy. Potholes are seen here and there, creating problems for pedestrians as well as transporters. Traffic jam is regular in the stretch nowadays.

It is worth mentioning here that at the April 4 meeting, the DC had also asked the companies not to dig any more roads in the city till October 15, and if they were to dig more roads they could do that after submitting affidavits stating the time schedule of completion of the works, the mode of works and precautions to be taken up during the digging activities. The DC had also asked the PWD to obtain a certificate of completion of repair works after the laying of pipelines. However, it is seen in Assam that such directives are ‘meant to be defied’.

It is worth mentioning here that GMDA chairman Dhiren Baruah was on record saying that he would do his best to make water supply possible in the city before the Bihu. However, according to a source, around 50 per cent works for laying of pipelines is yet to be completed, and as such water supply cannot be expected before November.