The road stretch from Kothapet up to L.B.Nagar has become a nightmarish drive for vehicle riders irrespective of the time of the day, thanks to the road-widening works presently on as part of the Metro Rail Project.
This section of the National Highway-9, with lakhs of vehicles traversing each day, is being widened as part of the works taken up for Corridor-I of the Hyderabad Metro Rail from Miyapur to L.B. Nagar.
To begin with, the left-side stretch between Gaddi Annaram Fruit Market and the L.B.Nagar Circle has been chosen for widening. Though the black-top is not disturbed, the road-side has been dug up to draw level with the existing road, thereby making it impossible for vehicles to take a detour off the way. “As it was, the traffic on this stretch is unbearable during peak hours. Now, it has become difficult to cross it during any time of the day. For me, to travel the distance between Dilsukhnagar and L.B. Nagar, it is taking more than half an hour,” says K. Venkateswara Rao, who stays beyond L.B. Nagar Circle.
The road stretch before Kothapet is no better, due to the spill-over effect of the stranded vehicular traffic. Policing helps little, as vehicles queue up in no time at signals even before the chunk of traffic allowed just before clears off. Pedestrians are the worst hit as the road-side is constantly occupied by marooned two-wheelers moving at snail's pace. The situation is especially bad early in the morning when students leave for the exams. After a temporary respite, the rigour begins again at 10.30 a.m. when office-goers storm the roads, and continues up to 1 p.m. due to the after-effects of the turmoil. Evening hours are, however, the worst, when the stretch is choked by those returning from their work, and also by the outbound luxury buses.
“People who stay indoors in the afternoon fearing summer heat too come out during evenings, making it even worse. I am personally monitoring the traffic near Fruit Market during evening hours. We have advanced the shift from 8 a.m. to 7 a.m. in order to control the situation better,” said V.V.Chalapathi, the L.B.Nagar Traffic Inspector.
While ongoing works will take a month for completion, the troubles will be far from over, as works on the other side of the road will have begun by then!
