SHILLONG: The aqueduct work for laying water pipes at Jhalupara area of the city, precisely from the market up till the junction near Persara School is in a state of utter mess.
With large sized cemented slabs, apparently for covering the aqueducts, occupying one half of this long road, it takes sheer navigation skills to move through this narrow strip.
Amidst all this, the irony is that this road is two-way, that is, vehicles are moving from both sides along with pedestrians. It is often seen that four-wheelers are making way for their counterparts from the opposite direction depending on whose side the road is marginally wide.
In some cases, due to lack of any space, vehicles are seen moving in the opposite direction, sometimes till the very end, so as to allow the opposite vehicles to pass through.
Such is the condition on this road, which is nothing better than a paddy field with construction materials lying disarrayed, that even pedestrians and two-wheelers can’t even move when four-wheelers move from both directions.
Many of them are seen being pulled by their companions or alerted by other vigilant pedestrians from a moving vehicle that would have otherwise hit in any case.
There is no doubt once the aqueduct work is finished, the road would gain an extra width for easy movement of vehicles and pedestrians, said people from this area, but they pointed that at present, the situation here is very congested and the pace of work is very slow. They also said that this is an unavoidable road since it connects the market on one side and Hindu Mission, KHADC, Garikhana on the other.
Parents returning with their wards from schools and tuitions besides market-goers with heavy bags squeeze in between shop fronts, porticos of residential buildings and wherever they get on this roadside to save themselves from moving vehicles. A resident of the road to Persara School said that on quite a few occasions vehicles entered the parking arena of his house in order to make way for a long line of vehicles snaking from the other side. He also said that such a “sudden sight of an alien vehicle” is common here in those houses where parking space is available. In some cases even if residents keep their front gate closed, looking at the clogging of vehicles and pedestrians, they are compelled to open them in the interest of the public. However, all are eagerly waiting here for the day when the aqueduct work will be over and road is re-laid with bitumen.
