Commuters fume over terrible ORR roads

Hyderabad: With the city witnessing torrential rains in the past few days, the Outer Ring Road (ORR) is in a terrible shape, having developed potholes, and motorists are having a difficult time negotiating past them.

Drivers say it's a nightmare to drive on these roads, both during the day and at night. It is extremely tough for commuters to handle the torrential downpours on one side and the countless potholes on the other. It only gets worse when it's raining since it's harder for the commuters to notice the potholes.

The condition of these roads is probably going to worsen with more rain anticipated in the coming days, causing more inconvenience to motorists.

Despite the ORR's 100 km/h speed limit, drivers said that even at 80 km/h potholes were causing damage to their vehicles. When a vehicle hits a pothole, it becomes exceedingly difficult to control, and the driver is forced to slow down even more. They are therefore more susceptible to rear-end crashes.

A.Nageshwara Rao, a frequent commuter from Narsingi to Gachibowli, claimed that the ORR was significantly damaged in a number of places. According to him, some potholes appeared to be so deep that cars would bounce when they hit them.

Many motorists questioned why they should pay toll for damaged or poorly maintained highways and expressways. “Despite paying the toll, we still have dangerous potholes and subpar roads,” Rao said.

J. Santosh Kumar, another motorist, echoed similar worries, stating that there are potholes all aong the ORR, especially at Patancheru, Pedda Amberpet, Shamirpet, Ghatkesar, Tukkuguda, Kollur, Narsingi, Gachibowli, Patancheru, Bowrampet, Gowdavalli, and Shamirpet. Even with a light drizzle, the roads are being washed away despite crores of rupees having been spent on their construction.

A senior Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) official acknowledged the poor state of the roads, which has been posing a serious threat to drivers, and said the Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (HGCL), which is the nodal agency, had invited tenders to recarpet the roads from

Patancheru to Pedda Amberpet via Shamirpet and Ghatkesar. The project, he said, would be started and finished in 20 months at an estimated cost of a little over Rs 20.62 crore.