Broken footpaths after desiltation of drains turn into death traps in Guwahati

GUWAHATI: The ongoing desiltation work being carried out by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to make the city flood-free has left most of the footpaths built above the drains partially damaged posing a life threat to the pedestrians.
The GMC removes the concrete or iron slabs to desilt the drains and places those again after desiltation is done. Since most of the footpaths in the city are built on top of the drains, the partial damages caused by removing and placing the concrete or iron slabs again on the footpaths has become a major concern as it may turn to death traps.
The city residents have urged the authorities to repair the damaged portions of the footpaths to prevent any fatal accident or serious injuries to the pedestrians. Prakash Goswami of Silpukhuri said, “The GMC has put in all efforts to desilt the drains in a bid to make the city flood-free, which is a good thing, but the department must ensure the work is completed in a neat and clean manner before the arrival of the monsoon. GMC must restore the partially damaged portions of the footpaths or it should take up matters with other departments concerned for it. Footpaths should be pedestrian-friendly. An elderly person or a child should be able to walk on footpaths without any fear,” he added. The desiltation is being carried out by the civic body for the last couple of months while the public works department has also been engaged in raising the height of the footpaths at some places in the city as part of the mission flood-free Guwahati.
The GMC authorities said the damages on the footpaths during desiltation will be repaired soon.
Goswami added that the footpaths are also damaged by bikers who use the pavements to avoid traffic. “This can be prevented by the authorities concerned by placing railings on the footpaths,” he said.