For about a month, commuters taking Banjara Hills Road Number 12, especially the stretch from the Agrasen Statue to Film Nagar junction, have been dealing with traffic snarls. With the road dug up for laying a water pipeline, the woes, it appears, will continue for some more time.
According to Abdul Hafeez Ahmad, who works in the collections department of a banking conglomerate, the commute from his house near Zahra Nagar in Banjara Hills to the Hitech City has become longer on account of slow vehicular movement.
“Usually it takes me a little over 40 minutes to reach office in the morning. But ever since the road has been dug up, it takes me longer. The carriageway has significantly shrunk, causing traffic to slow down,” he says.
For others like Rajiv Reddy, a businessman, evenings on the stretch are nightmarish. He says in the evenings, there is heavy traffic from the Hitec City and Madhapur areas. This, he says, leads to traffic snarls at Jubilee Hills Road Number 45 junction and Film Nagar junction.
“There is a pressing need for the work to be finished expeditiously. In such situations, it would be helpful if the traffic police put more personnel to handle the traffic,” he said.
The problem is exacerbated on Friday evening and at times on Saturdays, he adds. “This is when professionals gear up for the weekend,” he says.
Locals and those who use the stretch frequently said on Friday night, vehicular movement from Agrasen Statue towards Film Nagar was diverted to facilitate pipeline laying. This, they said, led to a traffic snarl around 11 p.m.
“Vehicles going from Agrasen Statue towards Film Nagar and those moving from Film Nagar towards Agrasen Statute were using the same road after one side was closed. This caused some amount of delay,” a commuter said.
Water supply work
When contacted, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board Banjara Hills sub-divison deputy general manager Y. Krushna said, “We are laying pipelines to improve water supply for residents of Prashasan Nagar and other areas. It will cover 6,000 households. We expect the work to be completed by the end of this month.”
