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No end to myriad woes of Bishnujyoti Path residents

By City Correspondent

GUWAHATI, June 25 - Due to unplanned developmental schemes of departments concerned, waterlogging has become a serious issue for the residents of Bishnujyoti Path located in Hatigaon area of the city.

According to the locals, the earlier condition of both the main road and the drain of the area was pathetic. A few years ago the Public Works Department developed the road, but no step was taken to develop the drainage system.

�An unplanned drainage system is the main problem for us due to which waterlogging takes place every rainy day. When the State government planned to develop the road, we had urged them to set up a covered drain too. But the government did not respond to our request. A covered drain alongside the main road is necessary both to mitigate the waterlogging problem and prevent accidents, because during the recent rainy days a number of accidents had taken place in our area,� said Subhash Chandra Sarma, president of Bishnujyoti Path Unnayan Committee.

According to Sarma, if it rains during the night hours, there is waterlogging in the area all through the following day and normal life gets badly affected. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has so far failed to solve the problem, he said.

�The GMC never carries out proper desiltation of the main drain and the smaller drains in our area. They occasionally send only two or three workers who very often neglect their duty as there is no supervision system by the higher officials,� Sarma alleged.

The committee president further informed that since many drains of adjacent areas are also connected with the drains of Bishnujyoti Path, the situation becomes severe during the rainy season.

Theft is another big headache for the residents of the locality. According to the locals the role of the police administration in this regard is very poor.

�The Hatigaon area is a hub for migrant construction workers, hence the crime rate is also very high. But police are yet to come up with a proper plan to tackle the problem,� a resident of the area said.

�Drinking water crisis is another problem that the people of our locality have been facing for a long time. No government agency has covered our area under their water supply scheme. On the other hand, the groundwater level has been getting depleted day by day as many apartments have come up in the area and a section of people have started the water supply business through deep boring,� said general secretary of the committee Jayanta Barua.

Meanwhile, the air pollution caused by the factory of a bakery is also a matter of concern for the people of Bishnujyoti Path. The Pollution Control Board, Assam had issued a closure notice to the business entity after the public complained against it, but the problem has not been fixed yet as the owner of the bakery has moved the Gauhati High Court against the order.

�We have been fighting to get the business entity closed down for quite a long time. In this connection we have even moved Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and the GMC Commissioner. But we are yet to get any positive result,� committee president Sarma said.

In the memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister�s office, the committee alleged that due to 24-hour operation of the factory, there is a constant unbearable foul smell, which makes the nearby residents feel nauseated. Several senior citizens have also suffered health problems due to constant running of the factory.

In the memorandum submitted this month, the committee also alleged that the factory is operating without obtaining any NOC from the Pollution Control Board.

�The pollution caused by the business unit is a major issue for us. We have also come to know that the unit lacks a proper licence and other required documents from relevant authorities. We have moved all authorities concerned on several occasions, but did not get any result. Hope we will get a proper result through the ongoing legal process,� committee general secretary Barua added.

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