GUWAHATI, Jan 1 � With the city residents moving out of their homes in large numbers to ring in the New Year, roads of Guwahati witnessed unprecedented traffic congestions late afternoon to night.
Areas such as Dispur, Ganeshguri, Chandmari, Ulubari, Paltan Bazaar, Panbazar, etc., recorded bumper-to-bumper traffic, as the citizens hit the street in their hordes to welcome the New Year. The RG Baruah Road which normally does not witness severe traffic snarl was among the worst-affected, with the Assam State Zoo and Shraddhanjali Kanon turning out to be the most-sought-after destinations.
�It took me one-hour-and-45-minutes to reach Chandmari from Sixmile in the evening,� a commuter said. Similar was the experience with hundreds of commuters as their vehicles jostled for space in the busy roads.
The traffic police personnel had a tough time controlling the traffic congestion, which eased only after 9 in the night.
With the city�s roads adding several thousand vehicles every year, moving out during peak hours as also during festive occasions is turning out to be a nightmarish experience for the citizens. While the narrow roads and streets of the city today teem with unmanageable traffic, the absence of a reliable mode of public transport in the premier metropolis of the North-east has worsened matters manifold.
