GHMC or R&B: Whose job is it?

Hyderabad: On February 24, 2015, the state government ordered that all roads with the roads and buildings department be handed over to the GHMC for maintenance. Since then, confusion has been continuing between the two regarding their job profiles.

This has stalled the work on the Anandbagh road under bridge.  The level crossing gate has been closed since July 6, 2015. 

The R&B department contention is, in view of the 2015 directive, the GHMC has to take up construction of road over bridges (RoB) and road under bridges (RuB). The GHMC says the directive is only for maintenance. Its contention is that the construction of RoBs and RuBs remains with the R&B department. 

Under the circumstances, neither agency is coming forward to coordinate with the railways to execute the level-crossing work at Anandbagh, causing problems to locals.

As the tussle escalates, the South Central Railway has begun construction of RuBs near Anandbagh between the Ammuguda and Moulali stations. It was sanctioned by the Railway Board on cost-sharing basis with the R&B department. Railway officials said as per the contract, about 50 per cent of the work is complete. The RuB at Vajpayeenagar on the Sanathnagar-Moulali bypass line and the RoB at Cherlapalli  face similar issues.

SCR said in the absence of the level crossing gate, residents are facing lot of hardships and have been pressurising the railways to complete the work immediately.

Railway officials said the section between Sanathnagar and Moulali bypass line was taken up for doubling work under MMTS Phase II. The disputed RuB is located in this section.

Due to non-completion of the RuB, it is becoming difficult for the SCR to complete the track work within the deadline.

Railway officials have now written to the state government to conduct meetings with the departments concerned to resolve the issue.