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 caused hours-long congestion across Uzanbazar, Kharghuli, Chenikuthi, Barowari, and adjoining areas. The park, inaugurated on November 7 by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has become Guwahati’s newest public hotspot. With free entry until April, crowds have been swelling every evening, triggering traffic bottlenecks on approach roads. Residents criticized poor planning and traffic mismanagement, citing problems of pollution and littering. This weekend gridlock follows a similar traffic collapse on November 9 during an Indian Air Force air show in Machkhowa. Commuters say these incidents show a gap between event planning and on-ground traffic preparedness. Without stricter crowd and traffic management, residents fear prolonged weekend gridlocks.
