Water project work in rain worsens road condition, mud and garbage clog drains

Guwahati: Pre-monsoon rain from Friday worsened the condition of the road connecting Chandmari with Kharghuli via Ramsa hill, which has already been damaged at different locations during the installation of pipelines of the South-Central Guwahati water project. This is causing great inconvenience to the residents of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) wards 34 and 35.
At least 400 meters of the stretch from Amiyanagar to Rudranagar in ward No. 35 is the worst-hit portion as slush and mud have made it inconvenient to drive or walk.
“The implementing agency of the water project had installed the pipelines last year. However, they kept digging the earth for some testing. Moreover, the dumping of construction materials and plying of excavators have damaged the road. We have not seen any move on the part of the authorities to reconstruct the damaged portions,” said Maniram Kalita, a resident.
He added that the drains are clogged with mud and garbage due to which the rain water flows through the road. “Neither an ambulance nor an auto-rickshaw can ply through the road. The newly elected GMC councillors as well as the Gauhati East MLA should take it up seriously for the re-construction of the road,” he said.
Locals of the area alleged that the implementing agency continued with their constructions despite the rain. “Construction in hilly areas during the rainy season may lead to severe landslides claiming human lives and damage to property,” Kalita said.
The construction of a water project with a capacity of 141 million litres per day was started in 2009 and is yet to be completed. It is the largest project among the four water projects, which are being constructed. The project will cover the entire Gauhati East assembly constituency and a few other parts of the Dispur assembly constituency.