The road connecting GS Road and Rajgarh in Lachit Nagar also known as the Lachit Nagar link road has recently been a nightmare for the commuters with the constant piling and littering of construction materials on the route.
This comes after a recent construction drive ongoing on the same road for a few months. As the situation now stands, the constant breakdown of the road for various construction projects and water supply developmental projects has wreaked havoc on the situation of daily commutes for the people.
The hues and cries of the people have taken a sudden increase as the workers and labourers continue their work throughout the day, keeping the roads blocked and causing harassment to the residents and the people travelling through one of the city's primary arterial routes.
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The pile of construction materials including sand, stone chips, and cement strewn about lackadaisically throughout the route has primarily turned out to be a death trap for the residents and commuters. This has also primarily increased the volume of accidents and mishaps on a daily basis on the route. The Lachit Nagar Road being a major route for the commuters of the city, travel through this route becomes imperative. And, this increasing volume of traffic through this under-construction road becomes a perilous situation for the people.
Talking to GPlus in this regard, Pallabi Deka, a resident of Lachit Nagar said, “I am a regular commuter through this road, and such pathetic condition of the entire stretch ails me. I have also seen multiple accidents occur on this road due to the haphazard planning of the construction along with sand and other items being laid out improperly.”
Another resident of the area, Manab P. Daimary said, “I met with an accident on this road recently, when while travelling my two-wheeler slipped due to sand and gravel lying in the middle of the road. I incurred some damages to my vehicle and also got injured. Who am I to hold responsible for it? Even, the labourers working on the road do not comply with the norms and never cooperate even if asked.”
Earlier Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), under the directive of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, had imposed fines and punishment on contractors and construction companies for littering and blocking roads with building materials. But, such open flouting of norms and regulations is turning out to be a major headache for the people of the city.
In this context, talking to GPlus, a senior official of Public Works Department (PWD) said, “There is always a designated time for such construction works throughout the city and the work must be completed within the stipulated time period. The fines are only imposed if the construction duration exceeds or flouts the time period, which is not so in this case.”
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“As, the work is being done within the time period, so no such fines or punishment is being levied at the moment. Also, at times mishaps occur due to overlap of work between departments with one example recently being the unintentional damage to the water pipes beneath the road which occurred while working on it. This caused the work to stall for a few days. This also at times may cause the haphazardness that people witness on the route. Nevertheless, we are trying to get the work completed within our designated timeframe and we urge the citizens to bear with us for the time being,” the PWD official further stated.
Speaking to GPlus, the Mayor of Guwahati, Mrigen Sarania said, “We do generally levy the fines and punishment on various bodies and contractors if liable. But, in the case of the Lachit Nagar-Rajgarh link road, various factors come into play. First of all, the road is very small as compared to others, so any kind of construction work becomes difficult. Multiple facets of the route have to be considered and the construction work along the route has to be done in parts So, we are trying to expedite the process to complete it within the period to not cause the public prolonged issues in this regard.”
Despite these assurances, the residents pray for a quick completion of the route and resolution of the commuting issues.