HYDERABAD: The GHMC has decided to take up junction improvement programme at 12 intersections at a cost of `3 crore per junction. The corporation, in 2016, had proposed to improve 111 traffic junctions, including 42 major ones and and 69 minor crossroads in six months. Half the work has not been completed in seven years. The programme was taken up after examining sophisticated arrangements in other countries. Forty two major junctions were to have pedestrian refuge islands, provision was to be made for the specially-abled to travel on footpaths in their wheelchairs, road markings to indicate directions, RCC blocks, wide free- left turnings, among others. The officials classified the junctions into three categories. The major circles including Koti, Kavadiguda, West Marredpally, Sangeet, Chaderghat, Radhika Junction, Liberty, Himayatnagar, Kothaguda and Imax Junction among others. At these junctions, there were no space constraints and no need to acquire land and space constraints. The second category included a junction near Koti Women's College, Chey Number Crossroad at Amberpet, Ali Cafe, CTO Junction, Putlibowli, Barkatpura and Osmania Medical College. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) needed to acquire land from other departments to improve the junctions. In the third category were road junctions which required acquisition of private land worth `25 crore. Officials claimed that the corporation would complete the first two categories by December 2016 and the third category by May 2017. While the earlier plan is in limbo, the corporation now says it will improve 12 junctions at Habsiguda, Kothapet, IS Sadan, Aramghar, Somajiguda, Panjagutta, Miyapur, Gulmohar Park Colony, IDPL, Krishna Gunj, Narayanaguda and Sangeet with a cost of another `36 crore. For this programme, the corporation would follow the footsteps of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) which revamped 35 junctions at `100 crore in two years. A senior Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) official, requesting anonymity, said unlike the previous beautification programme where authorities installed a few sculptures and developed landscapes, the current programme includes standardisation of footpaths and roads like in Bengaluru. He said the junctions would be more pedestrian-friendly and would be developed with kerb stones to regulate speed of vehicles. Asked about the status of the previous programme, the official refused to comment on the issue.
