Commuting on city roads during the monsoon is a challenge in itself given how the stretches are damaged, leading to perennial traffic snarls. But those travelling from Secunderabad to Begumpet will have to gear up for a year-long hellish ride, thanks to the ongoing metro rail works. Saturday was no exception to the travails of the public.
According to a senior traffic police official, work on the metro rail station near the Jubilee Bus Stand has begun, due to which traffic is being diverted to other routes and almost doubled the commuting time. The work led to huge traffic jams, especially at the Paradise and Rasoolpura junctions, for most parts of the day. And this will continue for about a year, with other stretches also likely to face similar situations.
And to make it worse, roads at several places where the metro works are ongoing are heavily damaged now, perhaps due to the heavy rains as well. When this reporter travelled from Secunderabad to Begumpet, jams were witnessed on the first flyover, Paradise and Rasoolpura junctions till Lifestyle.
“The rains have only made it worse. If the damaged roads are at least laid, then half the problem will be solved. As per the agreement, the metro rail authorities are supposed to re-lay roads on the corridors,” said the traffic official. He added that since traffic from Secunderabad is being diverted to other routes, even stretches with lesser vehicular movement are now witnessing snarls.
N. Siddartha, a resident of Secunderabad, said that the road going from the Musheerabad junction towards Secunderabad has also been damaged, and has remained so from some time.
“Even 10 seconds after the signal is green, traffic crawls because of the craters on the stretch. It is so bad that at peak times, all four sides of the junction are choked,” he added.
“My travel time from Secunderabad to Begumpet used to be about 20 to 25 minutes at best till some weeks back. But now it takes me about 40 to 50 minutes every morning. In fact, at least one of the flyovers is choked even in the afternoons nowadays,” complained M. A. Khan, a resident of Padmarao Nagar. He added that the ongoing metro rail work has only added to his commuting woes.
When contacted, traffic officials said that they are doing their best to tackle the situation, and that commuters will have to bear with the scenario for at least a year. “They are taking up two or three stations to build at a time. So once work near the Jubilee Bus Stand metro station is completed, the other area where the same work will be taken will see similar traffic jams,” he added.
