Work on flyovers chokes traffic in city

Guwahati: Worsening traffic congestion across Guwahati triggered by ongoing construction of three big flyovers simultaneously has become a nightmare for commuters as it is ruining hours of their valuable time.
Over the last couple of years, the traffic situation deteriorated in the city as the state government commenced several construction projects, including three big flyovers — Kamakhya Gate-Maligaon, Zoo Road Tiniali-Sundarpur and Rehabari-B Baruah Cancer Institute. In addition, work on widening of the national highway from four-lane to six-lane in the city is also on.
Gitishma Sarma, a Gauhati University student, said she wastes about four hours in traffic snarls while travelling to the varsity at Jalukbari from her residence at Chandmari and vice versa by city bus every day. “That means the unplanned steps of the government ruins about 120 hours a month from me. I could have utilized that much time for preparing any competitive exam,” she added.
For her, the nightmare begins in the Bharalumukh area and ends at Maligaon on AT road as the traffic congestion in 5-km stretch is unbearable. “Sometimes, vehicles move for several minutes at a time. This has affected not only the students but people from all walks of society,” she said.
According to the ministry of road transport and highways, over 12 lakh vehicles are registered in Guwahati as on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the state transport department says that over 2 lakh vehicles ply in the city every day, which is more than the capacity of the roads.