Food for Thought

A person taking a stroll down the Guwahati-Shillong Road from Khanapara to Paltan Bazar in Guwahati will see betel nut and gutka-laden spittle on road dividers, people crossing road dividers risking their lives, two unused food bridges and very few urinals, etc that have much to do with hygiene and pedestrians’ safety.

Can’t a blanket ban on smokeless tobacco like gutkha and its proper execution solve the menace?

Besides, people crossing the road dividers risking their lives is a common scene on this stretch of the GS Road. Had the dividers been erected higher, this menace could have been solved. Such a step has to be taken as people of India are infamous for breaking laws.

People hardly use the two footbridges – the one near Janata Bhawan and the other at Ulubari. Had the illegal crossing of road dividers been totally banned near the footbridges, pedestrians would have used the footbridges. Why do police personnel allow people to cross the GS Road in front of Janata Bhawan whereas the footbridge is situated nearby? There are some points on the GS Road for people to cross the road. It’s a matter of life and death for pedestrians, especially the senior citizens. Will a PWD Minister or a Chief Minister ever cross the road this way risking their lives?

On the other hand, the public urinals on this stretch of the GS Road are very few. There are urinals under the flyovers at Khanapara, Six Mile, Bhangagarh and Ulubari. What’ll happen to a woman pedestrian if she has to answer the nature’s call in any of the long stretches between the urinals? Why don’t such matters strike the minds of city planners?

Also Read: Food for Thought

Also Watch: International Day of Women and Girls in Science observed at Assam Startup the Nest in Guwahati