The capital administration on Monday vowed to get tough on traffic violators and announced various measures to improve the traffic scenario in the capital complex. The twin towns of Itanagar and Naharlagun have been battling traffic woes for the last few years. With each passing month, the situation is getting worse. With the onset of the monsoon season there is virtually chaos on the capital’s roads. Every time the situation becomes unbearable, the administration vows to improve the traffic scenario. However, after a few days things are always back to square one.
Apart from haphazard parking and traffic rules violations, there are several other reasons which are causing traffic chaos. The capital administration should understand that the present roads are simply not enough to take the load of the burgeoning vehicle population. Every month thousands of vehicles are added to the capital’s roads. Though the number of vehicles is skyrocketing, the number of the roads has remained same. Even if NH 415 is converted into a four-lane road, the situation will still not improve. There is an urgent need to construct new roads to ease congestion on the national highway. The state government should immediately start a plan to construct new roads to connect Itanagar with Naharlagun and also with Hollongi. Also, more roads should be constructed within Itanagar and Naharlagun towns. The existing roads, including NH 415 and the arterial and sector roads, are not enough to cater to the needs of the citizens. With people from various districts and the rest of the country migrating to the state capital, looking for better avenues, the population of the capital is continuously increasing. The state government should improve the public transportation system, so that people are encouraged to use public transport. This will reduce the number of vehicles on the roads.