Lack of coordination between civic departments over taking up road repair works is leaving commuters fretting and fuming as pothole-riddled roads are not only breaking the backs, but also axles and wallets.
The recent rain has ravaged the thoroughfares and left behind only traces of what were once roads. Thick layers of slush and rubble are what one finds on major stretches. No wonder, roads have become an orthopaedic's delight and the mechanic's moolah. Many interior lanes and bylanes are also badly affected due to continuous flow of drain water.
The stretch near St. Ann's High School, Secunderabad has sunk, the metal carpet has literally caved in as if some earthquake shook it violently. The Allugadda Bavi-Tarnaka road invites office-goers for a bumpy ride. Similar is the scene at Bowenpally, Kavadiguda, Musheerabad junction, YMCA Secunderabad, East Marredpally, M.J. Market, Dilsukhnagar, Bahadurpura, the list goes on.
The crux of the problem is that some roads in twin cities come under control of Roads and Buildings Department, while other roads are under the jurisdiction of GHMC. Indiscriminate digging of roads by government and private agencies for laying pipelines and cables coupled with lack of coordination between civic wings is leading to problems.
The municipal officials accuse the R&B department of failing to reimburse Rs. 22 crore spent for re-carpeting the roads two years ago. Even after repairing a road, the continuous overflow of drain water is causing damage to the roads. “Who should be blamed for this?” a GHMC official questions.
The R&B department passes the buck to other departments for their non-cooperative attitude in addressing to problems. Authorities are not responding to repair drainage on Moula Ali or on ECIL road even after drawing their attention. The road from Mehdipatnam and Rethibowli was dug up for construction of P.V. Narasimha Rao Expressway, but the department concerned failed to repair it till date, said Department Executive Engineer K. Jaipal.
GHMC Chief Engineer (Maintenance) Dhan Singh said patch-up works were already being taken up.
