Although several living standard parameters such as potable water supply, pest control and door-to-door garbage collection are not maintained, the residents of Ward No 4 of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) are not entirely dissatisfied with the performance of the corporation.
While the Nilachal Hills, abode to Kamakhya Temple and nine other Shakti Temples - a major religious tourist spot - constitutes area 4A, the Maligaon area and the Kamakhya Railway Station constitute area 4B. Needless to say, along with the temple, area 4B has developed into one of the most populated localities of the city over the last seven decades.
In a survey conducted by G Plus in which 50 families of the ward were asked questions on 14 parameters of living standards, the respondents expressed dissatisfaction in 6 parameters, satisfaction in 6 others and were divided in their opinion about the rest two.
With regard to the supply of clean drinking water, garbage collection, pest control, streetlights, public toilets and parking spaces, the residents expressed dissatisfaction.
“In a way, we are blessed that we haven’t seen any water logging or flash floods yet. But water scarcity is a problem we face on a regular basis. It’s more difficult for those who live in the hills,” Pallav Sarma, a resident of Maligaon said.
34 respondents (68 per cent) said that they don’t get any water supply while 9 others (18 per cent) said they receive water regularly; 7 families receive it sometimes.
Regarding garbage collection too, the residents are not satisfied as only 18 respondents (36 per cent) said that their garbage is collected regularly, 5 families (10 per cent) said it was collected twice a week, while 27 others (54 per cent) are not satisfied. Of these 27, 12 of them (24 per cent) said that garbage collection is irregular and 15 others (30 per cent) said that they do not get this service in their ward.
Regarding pest control too, only 2 persons (4 per cent) said that the GMC has taken adequate measures while 35 said there was no fogging or pest control activities in the ward. 13 others (26 per cent) are of the opinion that pest control measures are being taken only occasionally.
It may be mentioned here that this ward is one of the eight high-dengue prevalent wards in the city as per the National Vector-Borne Diseases Control Programme of the National Health Mission.
While the main road, i.e. MG Road is well lit, the lanes and by-lanes do not have enough streetlights, residents said.
30 respondents (60 per cent) said that there are no streetlights in their localities while 2 persons (four per cent) said it is insufficiently lit and 4 others (eight per cent) said that the roads are vaguely lit. 14 persons (28 per cent) said that the roads are well lit in their locality.
All the respondents in the survey feel that there are no public toilets and the ward is in dire need of installation of the same.
“Swacch Bharat cannot be a success if public toilets are not installed at the earliest,” Birendra Saha, a resident of Maligaon said.
The residents are not satisfied with the parking facilities too as a majority of 32 respondents (64 per cent) said that the ward doesn’t have adequate parking space while the rest 18 (36 per cent) expressed satisfaction with the current parking facilities.
Water logging, law & order among the few respites in Ward No 4
Flash floods, a problem that plagues almost all the wards in the city, is among the respites in Ward No 4, the residents said.
31 respondents (62 per cent) said that there are no flash floods in their lanes while 18 others said it happens occasionally; 1 was of the opinion that flash floods happen only in a few lanes.
“Unlike the rest of the city, we don't have any major unplanned drainage channel flowing here. The last point is the Bharalu point. The rest all are manmade drainage networks which are planned. Now, with the rise in population, these channels have swelled, but still the condition is much better than rest of the city,” Anindyajit Ghosh, a resident in Maligaon said.
People also have a very mixed opinion about the drainage maintenance in the ward. While 25 respondents (50 per cent) were satisfied with the drainage system and its maintenance in the ward, 19 others (38 percent) were not satisfied; 6 (12 per cent) said that the drainage system can be made better with a little maintenance.
Another major let up in the ward is its law and order, the residents feel.
34 persons (68 per cent) said that the ward is secure while 1 said it was very secure. 12 others (24 per cent) said that it needs more security and 3 persons (6 per cent) said there was no security in the ward.
Regarding the road condition too, people are somewhat satisfied as 22 persons (44 per cent) said the roads are of average condition and 7 others (14 per cent) said they were in good condition. 19 others (38 per cent) however found the roads bad and 2 others said the roads were pathetic.
The other high points are transport connectivity, availability of health care facilities and traffic congestion.
“Traffic congestion is a problem in the nearby wards but here there isn’t much,” Pankaj Thakuria, a resident said.
