Guwahati: Life in Assam's largest city, Guwahati, was brought to an absolute standstill in the early morning hours of Monday (September 14) after heavy showers that lashed the city for several hours, leading to traffic snarls and clogging of water on the streets.
At around 9:10 am, the showers started tumbling down, causing people who were out and about in the streets to scamper for cover. It rained in the same fashion for a fairly long time, with citizens taking shelter in shops while waiting for the showers to subside.
Needless to say, this downpour ended up clogging the city streets with water. The flyover construction work going on at several places amid the government's drive to ramp up developmental works has further added to the woes of the commuters and office-goers faced a tough time reaching their destinations.
In several of the busier localities of the buzzing city -- such as Dispur Super Market and Khanapara -- the state of the traffic was absolutely terrible as commuters seemed unable to inch ahead with the rain continuing to batter down. This visibly led to heightened confusion and chaos.
The showers also created pools of water in the city's by-lanes, where most of the residents live. Due to the pounding rain, the potholes were filled with water and poor drainage in some localities will ensured that these pools will linger even after the rain has subsided -- akin to unwelcome guests.
"These is so much water, that the cars have to be moved out of the apartment complexes due to rising water levels. Every time there is a heavy shower, the condition of the locals becomes absolutely pitiable," a resident of Guwahati's Rajgarh are that is located not-too-far from the state zoo, said.
Dilip Hajuri Path, which is one of the busiest roads that leads to the Assam BJP headquarters in Guwahati's Kahilipara is also in a pitiable condition and the woes of travellers have been compounded due to the rain.
After the downpour hit, the nearby shop-keepers and residents started using pieces of bricks, stones, and pebbles to cover up the pot-holes so that the vehicles could move as best as they could. Some of these pot-holes have become so large that some residents are starting to joke that soon, they will turn into small ponds which will abound with fish.
With no end to their plight in sight, the local shop-keepers are now investing their hard earned money to try fix the road as it is hampering their business. Assam BJP President Ranjeet Dass as well top BJP brass take this road to reach the state BJP headquarters -- it seems like the government is yet to fully open its eyes to the plight of these people.