Despite GHMC instructions, roads await restoration
HYDERABAD: A road in Old Alwal's Manjeeranagar Colony was dug up more than two weeks ago to make way for a new one. But, citing the the GHMC ban on road digging, the laying of the road was stopped abruptly.
No efforts were made to cover up the digging for a smooth flow of traffic. "Despite several calls to the GHMC, nothing has been done to fix this road. It has been 15 days and nobody came to cover it up," complained Rituraju G.S.M., a resident of the colony.
To pass through the lane that has several residential apartments and a few commercial establishments, motorists have to carefully manoeuvre through the ditches.
"Some of us worry that if the conditions remain the same, buses and minivans that ferry children to school will refuse to pick them up and they will have to walk a distance of at least a kilometre to reach the other road," said Raj Kumar, vice-president of the colony welfare association.
When contacted, Mahesh Balastu, deputy engineer, Alwal, Kukatpally circle, told Deccan Chronicle that the road will be restored in a couple of days and the delay was caused due to the absence of a contractor.
Similar roads that have not been restored have been found to plague residents in several parts of the city, including Sainikpuri, AS Rao Nagar, Amberpet, and Banjara Hills. On such roads, even the slightest drizzles that the city has been witnessing in the past week, cause great trouble to residents and commuters.
Back in May, as part of pre-monsoon preparedness, the GHMC banned digging or cutting of roads until the end of the monsoon. All the superintending engineers and executive engineers were instructed to ensure that road-cutting works that were in progress including on Comprehensive Road Maintenance Programme (CRMP) roads must be stopped and all the roads are to be restored to riding quality by June 1, on top priority.
Instructions included trench filling by stone dust and temporary restoration by the road cutting departments/agencies and further pending work, if any, are to be done post monsoon. The executive engineers of GHMC were even tasked to take necessary action if the same is not followed.