Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation's (GHMC) promise of taking up cycling tracks in different parts of the city is not a false promise after all. For the first time, it is slated to take up three major road development works where two-metre-wide cycling track has also been included.
Interestingly, these three road works are outside its administrative ambit and come under the Industrial Area Local Authorities (IALAs) guided by the A.P. Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (APIIC). There are 14 such IALAs within the geographical boundaries of the civic body and the latter has been entrusted to develop three roads in them.
Tolichowki to Gachibowli is the first stretch of 8.05 km road and there are six lanes to it. New development plan is to put in place one-and-a-half lanes each on either side of the 150 ft road, thus making provision for service roads, a cycling lane, storm water drain and a footpath, all at a cost of Rs. 30 crore.
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Second stretch is the old Mumbai road to Wipro Junction via Nanakramguda for a distance of 4.05 km. Road development plan is for 120 ft with four lanes each and again the provision is being made for a cycling track, storm water drain and a footpath on either side. The road is to be laid at a cost of Rs. 36 crore.
Final stretch is developing altogether a new road from Nanakaramguda to Phoenix Infotech building for one kilometre. It is going to be 100 ft road and again to be embellished with the cycling track, storm water drain and footpaths at a cost of Rs. 8 crore, explained Engineering-in-Chief R. Dhan Singh.
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It has been a long standing demand of the municipal corporation to incorporate IALAs into them but it was negated few months ago with the industrial bodies too opposing the move. The GHMC contention has been that IALAs need to be better administered, better civic amenities since many colonies have come up and also ‘efficient' property tax collection. Currently, the civic body gets 35 per cent of property tax collected.