Driving on this stretch will test the survival skills of commuters. Instead of a black top, the section now has loose soil, ditches and tiny dust particles with undulations of every shape and size dotting its surface.
Rains in the last week have created indentations making the ride bumpy and risky for commuters.
Thick plumes of dust particles in the wake of traffic have made life miserable for the commuters.
These are tough conditions that commuters endure everyday while travelling on the Sangeet-Tarnaka road.
This has been the situation since a fortnight, when the works related to shifting of the Krishna water pipeline started near the Mettuguda crossroads. All through the night, earth moving machines dig huge trenches and by morning, the trenches are haphazardly closed to allow the traffic.
Loose soil
“The trenches are being covered with the dug-up loose soil. Rains have made the stretch a slush pool making it difficult for us to drive vehicles and when it doesn’t rain, the road becomes a dust bowl.
One half of the road is already occupied by Metro rail barriers while digging works are being carried out in the other half.
Where is the safe passage?” asks Rakesh Kumar, a regular commuter.
According to the Water Board authorities, the existing Krishna water pipeline opposite St. Anthony’s Church, Mettuguda falls directly under the piers of the Metro Rail project.
Since a fortnight, the 1,200 mm water pipelines are being shifted from their existing path to an adjoining location. The shifting works are expected to continue for another fortnight or even more, officials said.
HMR’s responsibility
“The Sangeet-Tarnaka road was damaged in rains and we are floating tenders to repair a part of the stretch at Rail Nilayam and Sangeet crossroads. The Mettuguda stretch near St. Anthony’s Church, however, is the responsibility of the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) officials. They had promised to take up repair works,” says Road and Buildings, Engineer, (city roads), V. Chinna Reddy.
Meanwhile, Water Board authorities too have washed away their hands from the issue. “We submitted an estimate and are also offering supervisory services to the HMR authorities to shift the pipelines.
All the works related to the upkeep of the road is being taken up by HMR,” says DGM, HMW&SSB, (Transmission division), Santosh Kumar. Metro Rail officials were unavailable for comment.
