A view of the National Highway 37

Dec. 8: Dispur is planning to realign the Guwahati bypass of National Highway 37 skirting the western limits of the city and develop it as a ring road to facilitate expansion of the areas.

Guwahati development minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state government would have to submit a detailed proposal to the Union ministry of shipping, road transport and highways for this purpose.

“With the city’s rapid expansion, the areas along the bypass will become the heart of the city within next 10 years. Therefore, it is essential to realign the highway passing through the city,” the minister said.

Sarma said these provisions were incorporated in the city’s new masterplan, the draft of which is likely to be published by the end of this year.

Since the city’s growth is limited to the Brahmaputra in the north and hills in the south, it is growing in the east and west directions by converting the neighbouring villages into suburbs.

The masterplan proposes the construction of an orbital road system or a ring road to reduce the volume of vehicular traffic in the central business district.

The present road network in the city comprises radial corridors emerging from the central business district, including Fancy Bazar and Paltan Bazar.

The sharp increase in vehicular traffic has made it imperative to develop an orbital road system to reduce the pressure on these corridors by diverting the traffic.

Sarma said the government has made grandiose development plans that would change the face of the city. “The government is not interested in scoring singles any more. We will hit sixers this time,” he said.

The minister said the objective of the new master plan would be to equip Guwahati with modern and quality infrastructure to create an image befitting that of a state capital by 2025.

The new plan will also propose inclusion of 8,000 hectares of land in the Guwahati metropolitan area to carry out various development activities like creating housing and markets areas.