GUWAHATI, April 19 � Voluntary organization Save Guwahati Build Guwahati (SGBG) has called upon the Government to solve the civic problems of Uzanbazar, one of the oldest localities of Guwahati city and lamented that the schemes for improvement of the condition of the main market in the area remained only on paper for years.
President of the SGBG Dhiren Baruah pointed out that Uzanbazar is primarily a residential locality and it has a number of old schools of the city. Though the Uzanbazar market is one of the oldest markets of the city and unfortunately, the authorities concerned have failed to take effective steps to improve the condition of the market.
Baruah said that though funds were earmarked for the improvement of the condition of the market way back in 1987, about one-fourth of the funds was spent only on installation of the pillars and for the reasons best known to the people at the helm of affairs, the scheme is yet to be implemented fully. A number of high-level meetings were held on the issue but the decisions taken in the meetings remained only on paper. He said that the traders and consumers have to face serious hardship in the market, particularly during the rainy season.
The main reason for the present state of affairs is the lack of sincerity on the part of the Government. Baruah demanded that a local legislator should be appointed as the Commissioner of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) for a period of five years and he should be entrusted with the responsibility of completing the construction of the Uzanbazar market.
The SGBG president pointed out that the condition of the market is not the only problem faced by the people of the Uzanbazar area and effective steps should be taken by the authorities concerned to solve the other civic problems of the area. He said that steps should be taken by the authorities to keep the drains of the area clean, at least during the rainy season, to ensure that the people do not face the acute problem of artificial floods and the sluice gate on the Mahatma Gandhi road should be repaired.
Baruah said that steps should be taken to widen and improve the condition of the road from Uzanbazar to Noonmati Sector I through Kharghuli-Joypur. He pointed out that if city buses and trekkers are allowed to ply on the road, the communication system of the city will improve considerably.
The SGBG president said that the main problem of the Happy Villa area of the city is that the people have to face tremendous hardship during the rainy season. He demanded that the condition of the roads in the area should be improved immediately and effective steps should be taken to ensure regular cleaning of the drains.
It is possible to solve the problem of scarcity of drinking water if the authorities show little bit of sincerity in this regard. The 40-year-old water supply pipes should be replaced immediately.
Baruah said that areas like Lamb Road, Hedayatpur, etc., face severe waterlogging problem because of the fact that the old railway culverts are too small for discharge of water. The PWD or the GMDA should be entrusted with the responsibility of widening the culverts immediately. He said that the water carrying capacity of the drains on both sides of the Lamb Road should be increased and pavements should be constructed on both sides of the road for the benefit of the pedestrians.
