Road under bridge opposed by locals in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: As many as 20 colonies with a population of over 30,000 residents at East Anand Bagh, in Malkajgiri are up in arms against the Roads and Building Department for taking up the Road Under Bridge connecting East and West Anand Bagh.

The residents state that the RUB (of more than a km) will block their major connectivity, hitting commercial establishments, and denying access to school buses, ambulances and RTC buses. The RUB would knock down many residential properties. Angry residents dashed off a letter to the Railway Minister to make changes in the proposal.

Religious shrines like Venkateshwara Swamy temple, Sai Baba and Han-uman Temples, Saraswathi Devi temple and a decades old masjid at East Anand Bagh are to be affected.

Srikanth Behara, resident of East Anand Bagh said, “The RUB is planned at the railway level crossing. The department initially informed us that the RUB would cause no hindrance to the residents, since the starting point to the finish point would only be a few meters on either side of the railway track. However, the tender published, shows the RUB length is about 150 metre which will block connectivity for both East and West Anand Bagh.”

The 150- metre RUB will cut through 100 feet which is a major connectivity. Neither was the colony association informed nor a notification issued. “People residing in 20 surrounding colonies would be living in a constant traffic jam with narrow lanes, sufficient only for two wheelers and pedestrians. There is no thought on how emergency vehicles and RTC buses would be accessed by colony residents,” added Suresh, president Anand Bagh RWA.

Colony dwellers state that a footpath is provided with the RUB and pedestrians would need to go down and come out after a km causing hardship to senior citizens, children and devotes, who visit temples and mosques.