Rewind 2018: Win for SRDP with skyways, underpasses

Hyderabad: Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP), the TRS government’s most ambitious project that started amid much fanfare in its first term, witnessed decent progress in the outgoing year. Amid a severe staff crunch, the GHMC managed to inaugurate two skyways and underpasses during the year.

This apart, the civic body got permission from the principal chief conservator of forests to begin work on the controversial KBR Junction. The city may see one of the outcomes of the SRDP next year with the inauguration of a cable bridge at Durgam Cheruvu and skyways at LB Nagar jJunction.

The GHMC began the year with the launch of the Ayyappa Society underpass in January  Despite encountering different challenges especially in land acquisition, the corporation completed four other projects — Mindspace underpass, Chintalkuna underpass, Kamineni LHS flyover and Mindspace flyover. 

Next in line to get operational will be the flyover at Rajiv Gandhi statue, JNTU, Kukatpally. After the flyover at Mindspace junction, the corporation is focusing on completing the flyover at LB Nagar and ease traffic flow at the ever-busy junction. Once open to traffic, vehicles will be permitted to ply from Dilsukhnagar end towards Hayathnagar end. The civic body official claimed tenders for executing work involving '2,500 crore were completed and proposals for taking up different projects involving an expenditure of '3,000 crore were underway.

A major hurdle was crossed with the draft notification issued by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) in October and the final notification will be issued next year.

Following the hue and cry from citizens, the corporation has revised the SRDP project at KBR Park. According to the revised plan, the number of trees to be axed has come down from 1,900 to 600. As per the citizens demand they would take up the project with zero land acquisition without damaging any property. 

Earlier, the GHMC has proposed road widening which would further shrink the unused peripheral part of the park. However, officials claimed that the skyways construction would ease the traffic congestion but road widening along with them would provide a decent traffic solution until 2040. The GHMC’s proposal to construct six skyways in and around KBR Park would facilitate commuters who have been facing severe traffic snarls during peak hours on a daily basis.

Regarding pending projects, the GHMC says tenders process for executing work involving Rs 2,500 crore was completed

Officials claimed with funds assurance from the state government about 70 per cent SRDP could be completed by 2019. GHMC set a target of completing flyovers at Bio-Diversity junction, Bairamalguda (LHS side), LB Nagar (RHS side), Owaisi junction, Bahadurpura and Kamineni Junction (RHS side).