GUWAHATI, Oct 24 � The Government is trying to skip its responsibilities of making public life in Guwahati safe and smooth, particularly in matters of eliminating the drainage-related problems of the city. said Save Guwahati Build Guwahati (SGBG) president Dhiren Barua.
He further said that the attempts made by some sections of the people in power at describing the demand of the Guwahatians to make their city a flash flood-free, safe one as a criminal act, is also not fair in a democratic society. A democratically elected Government is bound to honour the wishes of the people, he said.
During the time of BP Chaliha, the Guwahati Development Authority (GDA), in association with the Town and Country Planning Department, had a proposal to dig two drains by both the sides of the National Highway-37, starting from Ambari Cycle Factory, along the AK Azad Road, to Palasbari in a stretch of 12 kms in length.
The plan for a city drainage scheme was prepared by the State Government in association with the Calcutta Metropolitan Planning Organisation. It was designed to cover existing municipal wards of Guwahati and its surrounding areas.
The State Government has not abandoned the plan so far. But it is also not implementing the plan.
The Government of Assam entrusted Town and Country Planning Department (T& CPD) to prepare a scheme for an underground drainage and sewerage system for all the municipal wards of the city. For the purpose, the T&CPD floated global tender for preparing the scheme. Two foreign firms were selected for the task.
But, after seven years, the matter remained pending and finally the T&CP told the GoA that it would not be possible on its part to prepare the scheme as it was not provided funds for the purpose.
Meanwhile, the Government has also allowed the natural channels as well as the wetlands of the city to be encroached upon. It has not taken any step to free these channels and wetlands from encroachment, alleged Barua.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had assured the SGBG in 2001 that his Government would implement an underground drainage and sewerage system for the city. But that has also remained unfulfilled. The Government in fact does not have the scheme for the purpose.
Besides, the existing drains of the city are also not cleaned for months together and even if they are cleaned, the slush is left by the side of the drains. Moreover, the drains of the city are made death traps by keeping the manholes of the covered drains open at places and not providing the open drains with railings.
These resulted in the death of Upamoni Choudhury, Binoy Mohan Das and several others and injury to many others during the past decades, Barua said.
