GHMC plans to ease traffic ineffective

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s plans to ease traffic has not been as effective as it thought it would be. The Kandikal Gate RoB that was planned in 2007 took almost three years to get going in 2011.

Originally meant to address traffic problems in Falaknuma, Chatrinaka, Uppuguda etc, the project’s delay has caused a lot of problems to residents and commuters.

“It is almost two years since this road has been closed. It is very difficult to travel from here to Chandrayangutta in a vehicle other than a motorcycle. The road on either side is dug up, and not safe to drive,” said Vandana, a resident and trader. The labourers are staying right at the construction site. They came from Kolkata two years ago, and are working at a slow pace.

Corporator Samed Ahmed Abdul says, “A lot of things other than the construction are being done like waterline shifting and re-laying of drainage pipes. So it is taking time.”Earlier, a former engineer-in-chief assured that the GHMC will give top priority to the Kandikal Gate RoB as it would connect Chandrayangutta and other parts of the city, and could also improve connectivity to the airport.

The initial budget allocated for this project was about '23 crore but by 2011 the cost escalated to Rs 27 crore. As per schedule, the GHMC was supposed to finish the work by April 2013 at a cost of ' 27 crore, which the GHMC and Railways would share on a 50-50 basis. But now the cost has gone up to Rs 32 crore.

“There were a lot of problems regarding tenders, and land acquisitions blocked the project. But now most of the land has been acquired, and the project is likely to be finished in 9-12 months,” says GHMC commissioner Somesh Kumar.