The roadside vendors and haphazard parking of vehicles have been creating serious problems for the common people since ages and the traders and commuters are sore over the failure of the civic bodies to deal with the problem. It is mostly observed that the city footpaths are being used by the roadside vendors by putting up their business, and this in turn blocks most of the entrances to the shops and thereby restricting the entry of buyers to the shops and affecting their business badly. This trend is on it high especially during the festive season. Again in many cases, the vendors draw closer towards the middle of the roads, affecting the movement of vehicles. The roadside vendors also try to attract customers by shouting the prices in an awful manner. Commuters find it difficult to pass through this road while most of the well–off families avoid coming to the area for buying goods as the entry of the vehicles is restricted except for the LIC employees on the location. Though the street vendors have opted this as their occupation and are poor to have their own accommodation for shops, the Government should make some arrangements for their livelihood. Hemanta Kalita, a resident of Santipur, who came to buy clothes with his family members, said that it is very difficult to pass through the road as both sides of the footpath and the roads were occupied by vendors at the Fancy Bazar area. Kalita also said that the situation is the same at Lakhtokia as well, but it is the haphazard parking of vehicles on the roadside which is creating more problems, adding that it is also a security hazard as a number of blasts took place in unmanned parking places in the city in recent times. “Specific spaces should be allotted for the roadside vendors and parking of vehicles to reduce traffic chaos and security hazard,” he urged. Proprietor of the Lakhtokia Geneva Watch, BK Banik said that the saucer vendors block the footpath of the area and the customers are forced to travel quite a distance on the road to pass the parked vehicles on the SS Road to enter the destined shop. Claiming Fancy Bazar as the hub of trade in the city, Supriya Dutta of Chenikuthi said that people in large numbers from different parts of the State come here to buy their required goods. “The roadside vendors have their own customers but if the authorities concerned could have managed to settle them in some other alternative places the problems in the Fancy Bazar and Lakhtokia areas would have lessened”, she said, adding “Foolproof security system should be put into place to prevent any untoward incident in the area. A high ranked official of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation said that, “Problems regarding the civic amenities would be solved phase by phase on a priority basis.” “The Government has ordered checking of encroachment and unauthorised trading in some of the areas but the High Court has intervened and directed the authorities to make alternative spaces for the people,” he added. And amid this all promises and claims, trading and businesses, it is the space for the pedestrians which is vanishing at a rapid pace. People are either forced to find their way through this ‘mess’ or are forced to take the middle of the road and walk to their destination. And as an add on, there are the open manholes on the footpaths, to pull anybody and everybody at on every available opportunity.