Tezpur's Mission Chariali choked by delay in flyover work, poor road conditions

Tezpur, May 14: Commuting daily through the busy crossing at Mission Chariali in Tezpur town, along the western part of the under-construction flyover, has become a nightmare for the local residents as a result of the slow pace of construction works.

The road on the western part, from the traffic point up to Defence PRO's office to-wards BP Tiniali, is lying severely damaged and is replete with big potholes, which have been present since the beginning of construction works. The traffic scenario is chaotic between 8 am and midnight when heavy vehicles enter the area, crowding the road. The situation worsens when it rains, as the potholes take bigger dimensions and pose a serious threat to the commuters and their vehicles.

While commuters are de-crying the dilapidated road and expressing their deep concern over the lackadaisical attitude of the construction company, the local shopkeepers are alleging that their businesses are being adversely affected due to the pathetic condition of the road. Local residents have also alleged that the failure of the authorities concerned to ensure timely repairs of the service roads of the under-construction flyover is taking a heavy toll on the commuters. Amidst the ongoing construction of the western part of the flyover, the service roads are dotted with big potholes, creating chaos and forcing the commuters to suffer a harrowing time over the past couple of years.

People who have to drive their vehicles through this route have expressed their annoyance over the non-systematic work and poor maintenance of the service roads. They have laid stress on the need for immediate repair of these service roads from the Mission Chariali point to the BP Tiniali area, as these roads are not only causing delays during busy school and office hours but also during other times every day.

It is pertinent to mention that the service roads that pass through the Torajan-Kumargaon area have been repaired to some extent with paver blocks, but a major portion of the service roads from the GCO-4 Corp's office area till the Mission Chariali Traffic point have been left in a most deplorable condition, due to which commuters are forced to navigate through potholes

and uneven surfaces, leading to long traffic jams and in-creased risk of accidents. The local residents have lamented that lack of proper maintenance and planning has been a recurring issue on this stretch of the flyover construction area, covering a distance of around 3.2 km from the Torajan Kumargaon area (BP Tiniali) till the Porua Chariali area via the Mission Chariali traffic point, with the commuters of-ten bearing the brunt of the authorities' neglect.

"It's an obligation for all concerned to maintain the roads in the area as they are the gateway to the historic Tezpur city. We feel ashamed that such a beautiful city has such poorly maintained roads. The authorities need to take immediate action," said a local resident.

Expressing their dissatisfaction over the delay in completing the construction of the big-budget flyover, another local resident said: "The more serious thing is that it is not just during the rains; even on regular days, it is a nightmare to navigate through these roads. The haphazardness in keeping of construction materials is un-believable. It is not just inconvenient, it is downright dangerous. These days, even a short distance takes forever to cover, and the risk of accidents is always looming."

Several local residents urged upon the authorities concerned to immediately repair the roads in question, particularly the stretch from the Defence PRO's office area to the Mission Chariali traffic point.