GUWAHATI, June 27 � Repeated government claims about improving the city�s drainage fell flat again following a downpour this morning. Several parts of the city witnessed waterlogging soon after the rains lashed Guwahati.
Among the worst hit were stretches of arterial RG Baruah Road, Maniram Dewan Path, and the by-lanes of east Guwahati.
Reports have also come in of inundation in parts of Durgasarobar, Bhutnath, Arya Nagar, Lachit Nagar, and Nabin Nagar, among others.
Office goers and schoolchildren were stranded by the sudden rains, which continued for around two hours. There were traffic snarls on a number of spots spread across the city.
�I was caught in traffic following the rains, and it was at a snails pace that our vehicle could move through the water on RG Baruah Road,� said Devaksh Das, a resident of Silpukhuri.
He wondered why the authorities have been unable to improve the drainage around the busy road. "What is the final result of so much money being spent on drainage?" he asked.
During the rains, traffic management on the busy roads was also absent leading to further chaos. There were no traffic police personnel at the TC School rotary which created problems for motorists in the morning, a local resident claimed.
For people stranded in Fancy Bazar bus stop, the rains created a rather difficult situation as there was inadequate space for the commuters to take shelter. �We now have expensive buses, but we don't have sheds where we can wait for the rains to stop,� complained Dhanesh Kumar, a young professional.
As on previous occasions, some rickshaw pullers and auto rickshaw drivers had a brief windfall during and immediately after the rains. With no authority to curb their whimsical fares, the passengers were at the receiving end, again.
