Guwahati diary

To ease traffic congestion, the Assam government plans to build a number of flyovers in Guwahati.
Guwahati diary

Flyovers to tackle traffic snarls

To ease traffic congestion, the Assam government plans to build a number of flyovers in Guwahati. The government disclosed this during the ongoing budget session of the state Assembly. There are a dozen flyovers in the city, but they have not been able to improve the situation. The city, called the gateway to the north-east, has expanded significantly over the past 20 years, but not its roads. As a result, commuters often get stuck in traffic jams. One of the reasons for this is the fact that 200 to 300 new vehicles arrive on the roads every day.

Service to the sick with a smile

A hospital in Guwahati has come up with a scheme called “Hahi”, which means smile in Assamese, for patients from poor and middle-class families. Under this scheme of the Guwahati Accident, Trauma and Emergency Hospital (Gate), patients will be provided treatment at subsidised rates. “Under Hahi, outpatient department services will be offered free from the 25th to the 30th of every month. Similarly, surgery will be conducted at subsidised rates on the first seven days of every month,” Gate director Bedabrata Pathak said. The hospital opened about six months ago and has 55 consultants across various departments.

Meat sellers up in arms

It seems Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has done a Yogi Adityanath in Guwahati. The state government has banned the slaughter of goats in the capital and compelled butchers to purchase meat from a government abattoir on the city’s outskirts. The meat sellers, who are predominantly Muslim, are up in arms. “People do not buy meat which is not fresh, and we do not even know its quality,” said Muslim Ali, president of Qureshi Meat Association. A private company, NEC Food Products, has been contracted to procure goats and slaughter them. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP government had similarly shut abattoirs on the grounds of hygiene.

‘I Love Guwahati’

To bring various departments on a single platform for redressal of grievances of residents, the Kamrup (metro) district administration will introduce a mobile app called “I Love Guwahati”. The app is part of the smart city project. Kamrup district magistrate and managing director of Guwahati Smart City Limited, M Angamuthu, said once the app was introduced on a trial basis within a month, it would allow city dwellers to air their grievances. “To make Guwahati a smart city, we all shall have to work together. The mobile app is part of the initiative,” he said.

Prasanta Mazumdar

Our correspondent in Guwahati

prasantamazumdar@newindianexpress.com

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