Lack of Coordination Leaves Guwahati In A Mess

GUWAHATI: Due to lack of cooperation, the departments carrying out development works in Guwahati are veritably engaged in ‘undoing’ each other’s works.

The departments and agencies that work for the development of Guwahati are GMC (Guwahati Municipal Corporation), GMDA (Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, Town and Planning Department, PWD (Public Works Department), PHE (Public Health and Engineering), ASEB (Assam State Electricity Board), BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) and other telecom companies, and water supply agencies. Because of sheer lack of cooperation, when one of these departments ‘does’ a work, there is another department or agency to ‘undo’ the work done. And this is happening right under the nose of the State administration. When the PWD blacktops a road, some telecom companies damage the road carrying out digging activities in the name of laying cables. And this is not all. The damaged stretches of such roads are left for months without restoring them to their original shapes. Sometimes, it is the ASEB that damages the blacktopped roads while erecting electric poles, and leaves them without restoring to their original shapes. Take the case of the road in the Kharguli area in Guwahati. In the name of laying pipes of a water supply scheme, the road has been dug, damaged and left without restoring to its original shape for months. It is the GMDA that is monitoring the scheme. The public have to bear the brunt for such omissions and commissions on the part of the departments.

Another instant is at the Six Mile point towards Joyanagar in the city. Around four months back, PWD blacktopped the road only to be damaged by a water supply agency to lay pipes. Here too, the damaged stretch of the road has been left without restoring it to its original shape for months.

This problem is seen in other developing towns and cities in the State as well.

Efforts are on to make Guwahati a smart city. Can it be a reality without a smart mechanism in place? Why doesn’t the authority form a nodal mechanism with due representation from all the departments and agencies to ensure that they don’t have to undo development works done by each other.

Though such a move was taken by the previous government, it however, failed to give a concrete shape to the initiative. Will the present dispensation at Dispur make such a nodal mechanism in Guwahati for the sake of public interests?

An opt-repeated excuse from the departments concerned is that they have to carry out development works as and when funds are released. Since all the departments don’t get their funds released at the same time, it is difficult on their part to carry out works at tandem with the other departments. However, this problem can be solved if there is a nodal mechanism that can schedule schemes for a year taking all related departments’ consents so that none of them has to undo the works done by any of them.

Also Read: Top Headlines