GMC clears encroachments to ease traffic, restore footpaths

Guwahati: The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) on Friday carried out an eviction drive across multiple parts of the city, including Fancy Bazar, Sijubari, Jalukbari and Bhangagarh, as part of its effort to reclaim public spaces and improve urban infrastructure, officials said.“Our continued efforts are aimed at ensuring orderly urban development. The drive focused on removing unauthorised encroachments from public spaces, improving pedestrian accessibility, easing traffic movement and preserving vital civic infrastructure,” GMC mayor Mrigen Sarania said.The GMC claimed that every encroachment removed is a step towards a cleaner, safer and more organised city. “The drive targets temporary structures, roadside encroachments and other unauthorised occupations that narrowed the road space and obstructed footpaths in busy commercial and residential areas,” the mayor said.Sarania said such drives are being conducted regularly to restore public land and improve traffic flow, particularly in areas with heavy pedestrian and vehicular movement. Fancy Bazar, one of the city’s busiest commercial hubs, has long faced congestion on footpaths.The GMC also conducted eviction drives beneath the Bhangagarh flyover and in Jalukbari. Officials said the areas had become hubs for antisocial activities and that the action followed public complaints.

Street vendors said they had been paying money to the lessee, who collected money from them in exchange for allowing them to use the spaces. The vendors are now uncertain about whom to pay and whether they will be allowed to continue operating.“We have been paying them for utilising the space, but the GMC constantly evicts us. This has been impacting our business. We have been constantly demanding for a proper vending zone, where we can conduct our businesses, but the GMC has not been able to find it yet,” a Fancy Bazar vendor said.Other vendors raised similar concerns. However, GMC officials said there is no proper space for setting up vending zones in the city, and they are still looking for solutions.