Public Transport Crisis: How Guwahati’s Commuters Are Affected
Guwahati: Heavy downpours beginning Monday night and extending into Tuesday morning have left city residents grappling with severe flooding, paralyzing daily life. Office-goers and students struggled to reach their destinations, with public transport rendered nearly non-functional. Many educational institutions were forced to close their doors as water infiltrated their premises.
Classes were suspended at several schools, including Rukminigaon HS, Gopal Boro HS, RN Dev MES, Sijubari LPS, 1140 Majali LPS, Dharapur MVS, Prachya Vidya Niketan, Srimantapur LPS, Rajgarh HS, and Veenapani Hindi LPS, particularly in the Hatigaon, Maligaon, and Ganeshguri regions of the city, due to significant waterlogging on campus. Dipika Choudhary, the inspector of schools for Kamrup (Metro), acknowledged that “only a few schools had suspended their classes following the overnight rain,” as the roads and campuses were inundated.
Schools that remained operational saw a significant drop in student attendance. Nirada Kalita, principal of Geetanagar High School, reported, “Even though the school remained open, we saw a lower turnout of students. Many couldn’t attend due to residing in hilly or flood-prone areas affected by the rain. Despite this, we decided to keep the school open as unit tests are scheduled for June, and it’s crucial for students to continue preparations.” Similarly, Hemanta Kumar Das, principal of Arya Pathshala, noted that attendance was poor, with many students arriving late due to the worsening conditions.
By Tuesday morning, areas including Zoo Road, Nabin Nagar, Chandmari, Ulubari, and Rukminigaon were reported to be severely flooded. Both private and public transport came to a standstill amid the excessive waterlogging. Commuters faced extensive delays, with some stuck in traffic for over three hours. Office-goer Khanin Goswami lamented, “It felt like the city had come to a standstill. I left home at 8 am and finally reached the office just after noon. The roads were completely choked.”
Original Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/guwahati/students-office-goers-suffer-due-to-lack-of-public-transport/articleshow/121298660.cms
Category:
Tags:
Publish Date: 2025-05-21 04:35:00