Driving in Cantonment area turns into a nightmare

EYESORE: Potholes have been formed on the city roads due to incessant rains in the last few days. Photo: Nagara Gopal

The monsoon might have brought down the mercury levels. But the state of roads in Secunderabad Cantonment too has gone from bad to worse like rest of the city making driving torturous for its residents.

The light spells of rain that the city has been witnessing since the last few days has transformed roads into patches of tar amidst potholes. Areas such as Vikrampuri, Karkhana and Marredpally turn slippery as loose gravel from the road makes driving difficult. The moment one slams the brakes, the vehicle skids out of control causing many accidents.

Important arterial corridors such as AOC Centre and West Marredpally are filled with potholes and mounds of sand, breaking smooth flow of traffic in the area. Interestingly, loose gravel is strewn all over the road in front of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) office and the stretch in between SCB office and water board office is in dire need of repairs. “Though the AOC Centre-West Marredpally stretch was repaired recently, the road is now back to its battered state especially near the Y junction at Rukmini Devi Colony. The stretch becomes water logged and a lot of sand has accumulated here, causing inconvenience to motorists,” complains Ram Kishore, who travels on the stretch regularly.

The ordeal doesn't end here. The stretch from Centre Point hotel towards Bapujinagar and Ramannakunta Lake is proving to be a tough drive for motorists. Moreover, the Sikh Village road which leads to Paradise too resembles a motor-cross track with the stretch having several potholes.

“Apart from some irregular patchwork, nothing major has been done. The back breaking drive gets frustrating because of damaged roads and one has to put up with,” complains S. Murthy, a senior citizen.

Commuters at Bollarum are also facing trouble as the roads were recently dug up to lay pipelines in the whole ward. “We are in process of testing the pipe and once that is done, we will relay the roads,” said V. Jai Prakash, representative of ward No. VIII.

However, cantonment officials say that it would not be feasible to lay roads during the monsoon. “We are identifying where the roads are damaged and will finish the patch up work very soon. Once monsoon is over, then the roads will be relayed,” said an SCB official.