Guwahati: A massive traffic jam brought large parts of Guwahati to a halt on Sunday evening after thousands of visitors flocked to the newly inaugurated Sati Radhika Shanti Udyan at Uzan Bazar. Long queues of people waiting to enter the riverfront park resulted in hours-long congestion across Uzanbazar, Kharghuli, Chenikuthi, Barowari and adjoining areas.
The Brahmaputra riverfront park, inaugurated on November 7 by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has emerged as Guwahati’s newest public hotspot. With free entry until April, crowds have been swelling every evening, triggering traffic bottlenecks on approach roads.
A video posted on Instagram by user Altab Hussain Goriya on Sunday, November 16, showed huge crowds lined up outside the park. Local residents said the weekend rush worsened the situation, leaving commuters stranded for several hours.
Residents of the surrounding neighbourhoods expressed frustration over what they called “poor planning” and “complete traffic mismanagement”.
“Are you people aware of the problems of traffic and pollution which the riverside park is creating for us?” said Upasana Das, a resident of Uzanbazar. She appealed to visitors to slow down the rush and urged them to “behave a little responsibly” after several locals reported littering near food stalls.
“Your craziness in visiting the park is creating a huge traffic jam… let’s all breathe a little,” she added.
Another resident, Ripunjay Deka, lashed out at authorities, saying the city was facing “the worst ever administration and horrible traffic management” in recent times.
“There are no public or route advisories for important events. It appears some higher-ups are getting sarcastic pleasure watching citizens and taxpayers suffer,” he said.
The Sunday gridlock comes close on the heels of another day-long traffic collapse on November 9, when an Indian Air Force air show at Machkhowa drew overwhelming crowds and left the entire central city choked for hours. Even VVIPs, including the Chief Minister and Governor, struggled to leave the venue, while senior police officers and traffic personnel were seen trying to manually clear the chaos.
Daily commuters say these repeated incidents point to a widening gap between event planning and on-ground traffic preparedness.
“Traffic planning shouldn’t be done only in office rooms. Field officers must be involved,” a traffic constable said after the earlier air show congestion.
Meanwhile, the newly opened Sati Radhika Shanti Udyan continues to attract thousands for its scenic Brahmaputra views, walking paths, seating zones and children’s play area—features that have turned it into a major draw for families and evening walkers.
But unless authorities introduce stricter crowd and traffic management measures, residents fear Guwahati may be heading into a prolonged period of weekend gridlock.