In the midst of Guwahati city, lies a nightmarish traffic congestion area - Paltan Bazar. It is the central hub of the main ASTC bus stand, Guwahati Railway Station and a bundled network of shops and businesses which transform the area into a daily struggle for commuters.
The traffic congestion mainly surrounds the traffic point of Paltan Bazar, which is a four-way traffic junction, leading through A.T. Road and heading on to the Panbazar flyover. The volume of traffic includes Buses, private vehicles, rickshaws and hand - pulled carts. Due to its connection with important roads like M.G Road, A.T. Road and G.S Road, this congestion is doubled due to improper traffic management creating the road to become as narrow as a bottleneck.
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After inquiring about the remedial measures that the department concerned about traffic woes must look into, an officer in the Traffic Department quoted, "We cannot use violent measures to force the Road side parkers to remove their vehicles, we do issue penalties for those vehicles, causing the drivers to pay a fine".
Double parking, haphazard parking of vehicles and carts adds fuel to the overflowing traffic. To this the traffic police officer stated that, "No parking boards are also put up", to make the drivers and riders aware that the site is not available for them to park their vehicles.
Upon asking the other reason behind such paralysed traffic flow, the officer highlighted over the problem of illegal on- street vending, stating, "The concerned department must take a step towards the illegal on- Street vendors who make the road additionally congested".
The infrastructure itself poses challenges from narrow roads to potholed surfaces, and majorly the unmanned traffic signals with absence of traffic police during the peak traffic hours. The shop keepers around the area however reflect a very adjusted attitude towards the concerned issue. One shop keeper addressed the reason for the congestion to be, "narrow roads and number of vehicles are double the population".
Commuters face extended travel times, impacting productivity and punctuality, making strict traffic regulation, adoption of technologies like smart traffic signals and real- time updates plus redesigning roads to accommodate designated parking, the need of the hour.
The illegal street vendoring activities were pointed out as one of the major reasons for the traffic congestion and upon inquiring about the situation to the area's Ward Counsellor, Smt. Ratna Singh, she mentioned that, "The Guwahati Municipal Cooperation (GMC) along with the ward councillors, have began to implement the creation of the street vending zones in Guwahati and are expecting to complete the initiative within a month, which will minimize the traffic regulation deliberately.”
The Paltan Bazar traffic jams are a reminder of the challenges faced by Guwahati as it deals with rapid urbanisation. Addressing this issue requires a collective effort from the government, traffic authorities, citizens, and businesses. By working together, they can transform Paltan Bazar from a congested nightmare into a smoothly flowing road that upholds Guwahati's status as a vibrant and dynamic city.
