Guwahati, 13 July (HS): Traffic on National Highway-27 in the outskirts of Guwahati has remained severely disrupted for more than 17 hours, leaving thousands of vehicles stranded in a massive traffic jam. Traffic police have been working continuously since Sunday to restore normal movement.

Heavy rainfall triggered widespread waterlogging, muddy road conditions, vehicle breakdowns and a landslide, bringing traffic to a complete standstill at several locations. Vehicular movement on the highway connecting Upper Assam with Guwahati has been badly affected in both directions.

The disruption intensified after incessant rain on Sunday caused the boundary wall near Gate No. 1 of the CRPF Group Centre at Nine Mile to collapse. Debris and red soil from the adjoining hillside spilled onto the highway, blocking the Guwahati–Jorabat stretch of NH-27.

Following the incident, teams from Jorabat Police, Traffic Police, the Fire and Emergency Services and the SDRF rushed to the spot and launched clearance operations. However, persistent waterlogging continued to hamper restoration efforts and traffic remained completely suspended till the last reports.

Officials said the landslide occurred when traffic had already slowed due to congestion, preventing a potentially more serious accident. A few vehicles narrowly escaped being buried under the debris.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash