GUWAHATI, July 20 � A smart shower upset normal life yet again in Guwahati this afternoon. Many city roads and localities remained under water for hours together exposing the weaknesses of the city�s drainage system and caused immense hardship for the people for several hours.
Meanwhile, president of the voluntary organization Save Guwahati Build Guwahati (SGBG) Dhiren Barua has demanded municipal tax exemption to those people who have been affected by flash flood this monsoon. Particularly those, whose houses have been inundated by rainwater, should be granted such exemption, the voluntary organization said in a press release here.
Rainwater submerged the parts of the GNB/MRD Road in Chandmari area between Nijarapar Road point and Red Cross Road point, near Government Press Road area, Guwahati Club- Ambari area. The road was under knee-deep water at almost all of these places.
Several of the Rajgarh Bye-lanes were also under water, while parts of the RG Baruah Road and the vulnerable areas of Nabin Nagar, Anil Nagar, Tarun Nagar, Sree Nagar were also submersed by rainwater for hours together.
The Ananda Nagar locality and the Christian Basti part of the GS Road were also under water for a couple of hours. A part of the AT Road/Dinesh Goswami Road was also under water near the Police Reserve, while parts of the SC Road, KR Choudhury Road were also under water following the rain.
The submergence of the above roads resulted in the traffic snarls as usual and the commuters and pedestrians were the worst sufferers. The Queen�s Baton Relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, also added to the woes of the city people this afternoon for which traffic was regulated on some roads.
One of the commuters narrating her harrowing experience told this correspondent that she had to be on road for almost two hours to reach Chandmari from Christian Basti traveling by city buses, via Kachari.
Several of the city bye-lanes faced unusual rush of vehicles, including that of the city buses, due to the situation resulting from this development. Vehicle users had to take to the roads that were free from inundation and this created a peculiar problem for the residents of many of the quiet localities of the city and made them aggrieved.
In many city areas like parts of Anil Nagar, Tarun Nagar it has become a practice for the residents to evacuate their houses in the event of a heavy shower.
According to Regional Meteorology Centre (RMC) Deputy Director General H Pathak, there is an RMC warning about the likelihood of heavy showers at one or two places over the NE region during the next 48 hours.
During the next 24 hours rain may occur at almost all the places over the region and there is the possibility of a few spells of rainfall over the city during the period, Pathak said.
