SRDP flyover works at Khajaguda stalled

Hyderabad: Delay in state government’s decision pertaining to the construction of a 500 metre flyover from Khajaguda junction towards Inorbit mall is making life tough for commuters travelling to IT corridors.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had already conducted a feasibility test, prepared a detailed project report and decided to take up construction in Engineering Procure-ment and Construction (EPC) mode, when the Hyderabad Road Develo-pment Corporation (HRDC) entered the sce-ne, claiming that roads in IT corridors were handed over to them by the corporation.  

The government, after dividing responsibility over construction of the roads to the HRDC and GHMC, is yet to provide any clarity on its flagship Strategic Road Develop-ment Plan (SRDP). Sho-wing little concern for commuters’ woes, both GHMC and HRDC officials have kept passing the buck on each other, and both parties claim that they would proceed only after the government’s decision in executing the SRDP. Besides this, the metro rail construction has been further obstructing the traffic, where U turns have been closed to commu-ters from Cyber Towers to Rajeha IT Park, forcing them to travel about 5km additionally.

Highly placed sources in the corporation said that in order to provide permanent alternatives, the corporation has decided to construct a 500-metre elevated corridor with a 45-metre width from the Biodiversity Park to the Raidurgam Police station. This would involve cutting a hill and developing the existing road from Khajaguda Junction on Old Mumbai Highway to Gopanapally. The project will reduce traffic jams and facilitate alternative routes to motorists from Cyber Towers to Raidurgam, Khajaguda, Gopanpally, Tolichowki and other areas. The entire project will involve an estimated Rs 700 crore in expenditure.

Until the inception of the HRDC, roads in the area were maintained by the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC), until very recently. Sources said that commuters will have to suffer traffic jams for a year and half with the various projects under the SRDP.

“The road from Biodiversity junction to Raheja was constructed a decade ago to suit the requirements of the time. However, the traffic burden on the road is increasing on a daily basis. In order to reduce the traffic burden on Biodiversity Junction, the corporation has decided to construct an elevated corridor from the back of the Biodiversity Complex to the Raidurgam Police Station by cutting a hill,” a senior GHMC official said.

He said that the project has been cut down to '700 crore from '1500 crore to minimise land acquisition and finish the project quickly. He said after exploring several options, the corporation zeroed in on EPC. “The project has to be taken off in March if everything goes well, but after handing over road maintenance to HRDC, we are in a dilemma whether to take up the project or not,” the official added.