GUWAHATI: The Jorabat stretch of National Highway 27 in Guwahati remained inaccessible to commuters for nearly 48 to 60 hours over the past fortnight, Dispur MLA Pradyut Bordoloi said while visiting flood-affected areas in his constituency on Sunday.
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"I am told that the Jorabat area was not commutable for about 48–60 hours," the newly elected Dispur MLA said during his visit to the flood- and devastation-affected areas in Basistha.
He said rampant hill cutting and the filling up of water bodies along the Assam-Meghalaya border are among the key reasons behind the recurring flooding in the Jorabat area.
Over the past two weeks, traffic had to be diverted at Jorabat on at least three occasions due to severe waterlogging and silt accumulation, leaving commuters and vehicles stranded for hours. Light motor vehicles (LMVs) travelling towards Guwahati were diverted at Digaru, while those heading out of the city were diverted at Koinadhara Point.
Severe waterlogging at Jorabat, 9th Mile and 10th Mile prompted the Guwahati Traffic Police to impose immediate traffic diversions to manage congestion and ensure public safety.
Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also warned that indiscriminate hill cutting and unregulated construction along the Assam-Meghalaya border, particularly in the Jorabat belt and around the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), are worsening Guwahati's flood situation and pose a serious long-term threat to the city.