Residents of Malkajigiri, Neredmet, and Sainikpuri will have to wait at least another four months before they see motorable roads in their neighbourhoods.
The Rs. 338-crore World Bank assisted project took off in November 2014 after a five-month delay because the water board was keen on having the Chief Minister inaugurate the works. A 24-month timeline had been set for the project, which will elapse this month. While only 200 metres of mainline work remains, the restoration work will take at least two months more.
“We hope to finish the pipeline works by December. Roads can be restored by February,” a senior HMWSSB official said.
The plight of residents and motorists navigating roads of these areas came to the fore on Saturday when a couple riding a two-wheeler feel into a pit after the road caved in. Water leakage from an old pipeline was blamed for eroding the supporting earth under the road.
For residents, the incident has instilled concern. “A road, that was filled hours ago, opening up is a very scary prospect. Such incidents make commute uncertain,” said Raghunath Rao, a resident of Safilguda. He added that a school bus was just metres away from the junction where the road caved in.
The water board is laying new pipeline totalling 380 km to provide piped water supply from Godavari to Malkajigiri and surrounding areas. Close to 360 km of the pipeline laying work has been completed. The remaining work mainly involves laying of smaller pipelines connecting houses to the mainline, which officials say will not affect traffic. The work is being executed between 12 a.m. and 5 p.m.
