Tank Bund road may close for half an year

Hyderabad: The irrigation department has proposed demolition of the Tank Bund Road and stopping of traffic for six months to construct sluice gates by replacing the existing 21 vents.

The decision was taken after the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation submitted a detailed project report to the municipal administration and urban development department to regulate surplus water from Hussain Sagar Lake.

The gates are proposed to be constructed at the Hotel Marriott end at a cost of '41.27 crore.

Sources said the idea of demolishing the Tank Bund bridge while restricting traffic was proposed by the irrigation department at a review meeting conducted by the state government. Irrigation officials made it clear to the government that sluice gate construction would be taken up only after demolition of the Tank Bund bridge. Civic officials, however, claim that construction of sluice gates was not an emergency requirement, as surplus water flow was recorded only once, in 2001, and never thereafter, in spite of heavy rainfall.

Even in September 2016, when Hussain Sagar received heavy inflows, the water never flowed from the bridge. Sources said sluice construction would be necessary but not by demolishing Tank Bund bridge and diverting traffic for six months, given the existing traffic congestion in the city.

But a senior irrigation department official said they cannot construct sluice gates without demolishing the bridge. He said traffic from the road has to be diverted for at least six months to complete the sluice gates in the stipulated time. The proposal has been submitted to the government and the work will be executed only after it gets a nod, he said.

The objective was to ensure steady flow and avoid sudden overflow of water downstream of the lake and store as much water. This was mooted after the floods in 2001, when the lake received heavy inflows.

n Gates are proposed to be constructed at the Hotel Marriott end at a cost of Rs 41.27 crore.
n Irrigation officials made it clear to the government that sluice gate construction would be taken up only after demolition of the Tank Bund bridge. Civic officials, however, claim that construction of sluice gates was not an      emergency.