Plan for one-way on RP, MG road opposed
Traders fear they will lose business to those on the other road.
By : m. roushan ali
Update: 2015-12-27 03:46 GMT
Hyderabad: Residents and traders are opposed to a traffic police proposal to make the Rashtrapati Road and the Mahatma Gandhi Road one-way to ease traffic jams. The traffic police proposes to allow entry into RP Road from Patny junction and from the Karbala Maidan side into MG Road. Traders on both roads fear that they will lose business to those on the other road. “We have conducted meetings with residents and traders. There are some who agreed with us, but a majority of them wanted status quo fearing loss of business,” North Zone assistant commissioner of police, Traffic, Mutyam Reddy said.
Traffic police officials are using the example of Abids, which has one-way traffic, to soften opposition. Additional commissioner of police, Traffic, Jitender said making the two roads one-way would ease congestion. There are internal roads connecting the two main corridors. Mr Mahender Kumar Agarwal, owner of Jagdamba Pearls at MG Road, said the project should be kept in cold storage for three years.
“If road-side vendors are regulated and allowed to do business at non-peak hours, the road width is sufficient for two-way traffic. If it is made one-way, why will any customer want to travel that extra 3 km to come to our showroom,” he said. Mr Mahender is also general secretary of the Secunderabad and Hyderabad Pearls and Jewellery Merchants Association.
Secunderabad Cloth Merchants Association president Prakash Ammanabolu, who also has his showroon on MG Road, held the opposite view. “Business will increase if customers get to park their vehicles as close as possible to the showroom,” he said. Secunderabad (RP Road) Electronics and Electrical Showrooms Association former president G. Kishan Chand said, “The time at the signals should be reduced so that free movement of traffic is facilitated.”
Ministers to help out cops:
Traffic police will take the help of city ministers Talasani Srinivas Yadav and T. Padma Rao and other politicains to convince persuade locals to allow RP Road and MG Road to be converted into one-way roads, after the GHMC polls. “We would also take along with us traders and residents who support the one-way plan and persuade the stakeholders,” said a senior traffic inspector.
Some local traders favour the one-way proposal. “Business won’t be affected. The two arterial roads connecting the two main roads should be developed. The government or traders can sponsor shuttle services for customers,” said Mr Rajesh Dhanda of the TVS showroom at Ranigunj. Mr Yousuf Vagh of Ahmedally and Co said the business would increase if one-way traffic was introduced. People will get used to it, he said. Traffic cops also propose to make the road from Secunderabad railway station to Clock Tower one way.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.