All it took was two days of considerable rainfall for the city’s landscape to change from bad to worse. With the showers severely damaging the roads, and with major repair works set to commence only after the rainy season, commuters are in for a rough ride in the coming days.
Major thoroughfares like the Begumpet main road, Kothapet main road, Musheerabad junction (towards Kavadiguda), pathway under the Oliphant Bridge in Secunderabad, RTC Crossroads, Minister road, and others have turned a nightmare for commuters. Apart from water-logging, the heavy rainfall has also created several potholes and huge craters.
“This year, because it didn’t rain heavily till Friday night, the roads were less damaged. But just two days of rainfall has damaged many roads at some place or the other,” lamented Tanveer Ahmed, a resident of Banjara Hills.
Neha Naomi, a resident of West Marredpally, also complained that the ongoing metro works have compounded problems further for motorists.
On Friday night and Saturday, the emergency squad of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had received calls complaining about water-logging in the areas near Chief Minister’s camp office, Raj Bhavan road, Nimboliadda, Mehdipatnam, Masab Tank, Nagamaiahkunta, Vidya Nagar, Bagh Lingampally, Lower Tank Bund, and others.
Sardar Ali Khan, who heads the emergency squad, said that there were no incidents of tree falls in the last two days. On contacting GHMC’s engineering wing, a senior official informed that 42 water-stagnation points have been identified. “Road repairs can’t be taken up till the monsoon season ends. Besides, most main roads, including the major ones, continue to be under the Roads & Buildings Department,” he stated.
But, what has happened to the decision taken to put all the main roads, including those belonging to the R&B, with the GHMC at the Chief Minister’s level? Senior municipal official do not want to comment on it!
