IT zone ignores public transport

Hyderabad: The IT hub in the city —  covering Madhapur, Cyberabad and Gachi-bowli all the way to the Financial District — seems to have been planned without any thought for modes of public transport.

The entire hub has no space for bus stations or bus bays. To make matters worse, no agency concerned with public transportation can look into this issue. The core IT area has less than five designated autorickshaw stands and not a single bus station. There is no parking space for taxis or cabs either.

A few bus bays on the main roads were made by traffic police, but they are not enough for operating more than a few buses that halt for a minute. Meanwhile, APSRTC, whose buses are the most commonly used modes of public transport in this area, is begging for space to expand its operations.  The IT department and APIIC, which developed these areas, allotted lands to IT firms, but ignored the RTC. Once a company gets the land, it becomes a private property.

The RTC, which has been holding meetings with various stakeholders in the IT firms, has been seeking space for depots for the last 10 years now. “We cannot operate like a cab or an autorickshaw, but are forced to do so,” an official said.

Agencies like HMDA, GHMC, Water Works, APIIC, APTransco, South Central Railway, Metro Rail, Hyderabad Traffic Police and RTC are operating in the IT hub, but even bus connectivity to the MMTS stations is not upto the station entrance due to lack of space for RTC.

“After getting off at Hitec City station, we need to walk to reach a bus bay. We are forced to depend on autorickshaws though they are costly. There is definitely  a need for more bus connectivity in these areas,” said Nandana Roy, a software professional.