Disorderly Jyotikuchi scrap yards turn area into ‘graveyard’

According to many experts, the narrow streets of Guwahati is one major reason for traffic jams and lack of parking space that forces people to park on the roads adds to the agony. According to the police and the city authorities like GMC, people can park their vehicles only in places allotted as parking lots and they cannot park at the No Parking zones. Police sources also said that it is illegal to block roads for personal work and the people doing so can be prosecuted; this is the reason why street vendors are evicted from many areas every now and then. In Jyotikuchi area on the Paltan Bazar-Lokhra Road, there is a road that goes towards Dhupolia where some scrap yards are located adjacent to each other. G Plus recently visited the place and discovered that the people living in the area are facing a tough time because of some disruptive workflow in the yards. The chaos A local resident of Jyotikuchi Dhupolia said, “We have to necessarily take this road to reach Shankar Hotel (Jyotikuchi Tiniali) from where we can go to either Paltan Bazar or Lokhra but the damps (scrap yards) located on the road since a long time have created a chaotic situation for us.” The resident said that the authorities construct the road once in five to six years, but within a span of six months the road condition deteriorates. The sole reason is the scrap yards located on the road. According to the resident, heavy vehicles are brought to the yards and disassembled after which the various parts of the vehicles are sold. In the process, the scarp yards function in a very disorderly manner as there are no particular timings of such vehicles coming. The recovery vehicles bring unused, old vehicles at any time of the day and block the road while towing the vehicles into the yards. Also, the recovery vehicles and the old vehicles are parked near the yards in a manner that they block half the road creating traffic jams most of the time. The resident said that the owners of the yards are very influential and even though many local people had raised their voices, nothing good has transpired till date as the authorities do not act against them. Many other residents of the area have complained saying that the activities of the yards block half the road most of the time and sometimes even the whole road. Some residents also said that the yard owners do not repair the road despite the fact that it is only because of the yards that the road gets broken. The children of the area face a tough time going to schools as even with a small downpour the road becomes muddy. A female resident in the area said that during the nights the labourers working in the yards get drunk and taunt the females who pass by. The woman said it is scary for women to pass by the yards at night as these turn out to be virtual ‘graveyards’ for them. The residents also said that many incidents of quarrel and brawls have occurred near the yards but no one does anything. The authorities As the area falls under Ward No. 27 G Plus spoke to the councillor, Jona Rabha. Rabha said, “I am fed up of the yards in Jyotikuchi Dhupolia Road as the road is always blocked and because of the heavy vehicles entering the yards every now and then, the road gets spoilt frequently creating chaos in the area.” Rabha said that he has complained to the police and even the GMC authorities many times but no action has ever been taken. Rabha said that the local police (Fatasil Ambari) collects money from the yards on weekly basis and so do not act against them. Rabha also said that the GMC officials are aware of the fact that the yards are functioning without any trade licenses but they are also not doing anything. The councillor also said that there is a huge nexus between the yard owners, police and the authorities like GMC. When G Plus questioned the local police as to why they are not taking any action against the yards, the police said they have not received any complaint and can act only if they receive complaints. So, the police and the authorities are awaiting complaints despite the huge irritation of the local residents with the way the yards are functioning and creating problems. The police should do something about the issue as blocking a road for personal work is illegal. G Plus tried to talk to the yard owners but they were not available for comments. The managers of the yards said that they couldn’t be bothered with our report and have nothing to comment about anything.  3-4 scrap yards in Jyotikuchi Dhupolia road functioning in a disorderly manner Local people complain that the yards block half the road creating problems for the commuters Councillor of Ward No. 27 says there is a nexus between the yard owners, police and the GMC authorities Councillor also says that the yards are functioning without trade licenses       Police says it has not received any complaint so far and so, cannot take action