GUWAHATI, Jan 31 � Voluntary organisation Save Guwahati Build Guwahati (SGBG) has called upon the Government to conduct a proper survey of the hills in and around the city and to ensure proper utilisation of the same without disturbing the ecological balance.
SGBG president Dhiren Baruah said that unabated encroachment on the hills posed a serious threat to the ecology of the city and the Government must take effective steps to deal with the situation. He pointed out that Guwahati city is facing a massive population growth, as a result of which, the low-lying areas have been filled up and most parts of the city started facing major problem of water-logging in the rainy season. He expressed the view that proper utilization of the hills by the Government in a planned manner without disturbing the ecological balance can solve the problem by a great extent. He also said that planned development of the hills would also be able to deal with the problem of encroachment. He also said that the Government must take effective steps to prevent further encroachment on the hills.
Baruah said that as the Government is planning to set up major educational institutions such institutions can be set up on the hills with proper planning. He further suggested that efforts should be made to connect hills with bridges. He also pointed out that the hills can be used for proper rain water harvesting to provide drinking water to citizens.
The SGBG president said that the city is facing problems like shortage of drinking water, lack of a proper drainage system, encroachment, lack of adequate open space, etc and though different government departments are taking up schemes to deal with the problems, so far, the problems have not been solved. He said that the Government must chalk out a detailed and well thought out comprehensive plan for finding permanent solution of the problems facing the people of the city.
Baruah said that most of the flyovers constructed in recent years failed to ease the traffic congestion in the city and demanded that the Government should carefully consider the requirements before taking any decision to construct new flyovers. He pointed out that only the Chandmari flyover is successful , while, more vehicles pass under the flyovers constructed on the GS road and very few vehicles use the flyover.
Baruah said that the commuters face severe traffic congestion in the stretch between Khanapara to Jorabat while going to upper Assam and said that efforts should be made to construct a six lane road between Sangsari to Sonapur to ease the congestion.
