Guwahati, Jan. 18: A nearly 30-minute delay in chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal's schedule last evening, caused by a traffic snarl on the Saraighat bridge over the Brahmaputra here, has prompted the Assam cabinet to decide on January 28 to inaugurate the second bridge.
Dispur has drawn much flak over the delay in opening the bridge despite people's suffering and the recent death of a pregnant woman caught in traffic congestion on Saraighat bridge.
"People have been facing problems because of traffic congestion on the Saraighat bridge. Our chief minister was also caught in the snarl for about 30 minutes yesterday. After discussing all this, the cabinet decided to inaugurate the second bridge on January 28. We spoke to Union highways and transport minister Nitin Gadkari today and he agreed to inaugurate the bridge," state industry and transport minister Chandra Mohan Patowary told reporters after the cabinet meeting here this afternoon.
Caught in the traffic snarl, Sonowal chose not to step out of his vehicle as onlookers highlighted their sufferings caused by the bottleneck on the Saraighat, currently the only bridge that connects the south and north banks of the city.
"They (government) are not bothered about the people's suffering. They are going to inaugurate the second bridge because the chief minister himself faced it," a city resident said.
Gadkari was supposed to inaugurate the second bridge on January 1 but the event was postponed as the state government wanted to avoid the "inauspicious" month of Puh.
The PWD and excise minister, Parimal Suklabaidya, had recently said the inauguration had been postponed till the month of Magh, which began on January 15, as some "intellectuals" had advised the government against opening the bridge in Puh. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation stone of the second bridge, constructed parallel to the present one, in April 2007. It was supposed to have been completed in three years.
The cabinet today also approved Rs 18,000 crore for metro rail service in the city. "The metro rail project will be implemented in four phases from the LGBI Airport at Borjhar to Narengi via Paltan Bazar. This will later connect North Guwahati and other suburban towns such as Mangaldoi. Jagiroad may be connected later," Patowary said.
The Tarun Gogoi-led erstwhile Congress government had announced a metro rail project but work had not started because of elections in April last year, sources said.
The cabinet also approved the finance department's proposal to present the budget on February 7. Besides, it approved organisation of the Namami Brahmaputra Festival in the state from March 31 to April 5 and the Himalaya Games in which countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan will participate. President Pranab Mukherjee is likely to inaugurate the Brahmaputra festival here on March 31.
