Ulubari flyover, which will be inaugurated on Thursday. Picture by UB Photos

Sept. 15: After failing to meet several deadlines over the past one year, the state government will finally throw open the Bishnu Ram Medhi flyover at Ulubari tomorrow.

However, the residents, commuters and police have little reason to rejoice.

The mess below ? incomplete service roads, parking chaos and water leaking from the underground Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) pipes ? will remain as it has been over the past four years and one month since the project began.

Sources said the traffic branch of the police is reworking its plans to ease congestion and the overall chaos below the flyover, the inauguration of which was preponed by a day because chief minister Tarun Gogoi is leaving for New Delhi tomorrow.

?It is extremely difficult to say how the flyover will reduce traffic snarls when the fate of the service roads remains uncertain till today. We have asked the public works department to give equal importance to the construction of the service roads,? a traffic official said.

According to the traffic branch, if the service roads are not ready when the flyover is opened, the cars bound for Stadium Road from Dispur will have to take the Kachari Basti Road, which will result in traffic snarls on B.K. Kakoti Road.

Cars bound for the Assam police headquarters and Nehru Stadium from the Paltan Bazar end will face major problems.

?Business has been badly affected. We were hoping that things would improve once the flyover is thrown open, but there is only a rush to open the flyover. The officials have forgotten to look below. Maybe they will get a clear view of the mess below tomorrow,? said a shop owner.

Chief engineer of PWD (roads) Haresh Dutta blamed the GMC for not repairing the leaks in the water pipes that pass through the service roads on time.

?There are major leaks in the pipes starting from the junction point of the flyover at the Paltan Bazar end. We have reached an agreement with the GMC, which has promised to plug the holes in the pipes,? he said.

Dutta, however, could not say when the construction of the service roads would be completed as the onus lay on the GMC to plug the leaks.

There are six drinking water pipes installed by the GMC and the urban water supply department, which require immediate repair.

Dutta said the bitumen layer could not be put on the service roads, as they were always slushy because of the leaks.

A portion of the service road along the Misti Mukh Shop, constructed on Monday night, was washed away by water leaking from the GMC pipes, he said.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi will open the flyover to traffic at 10.30 am tomorrow. The PWD had earlier set the Biswakarma Puja day as the date for the inauguration.

The construction of the 514-metre flyover began in August 2000.

The estimated cost of the Ulubari project, including the flyover, service roads, footpaths and drains, was Rs 15,41,89,000.

The other flyovers of the city are at Chandmari, Ganeshguri and Athgaon, which is incomplete.

A part of the flyover was opened to light vehicles last year to ease traffic congestion. According to the original schedule, the flyover was to have been completed by September 30, 2003.