Infrastructural development works taken up in the city under the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) may face inordinate delays due to gaps in fund release.
While several works are under way at different locations in the city as part of the SRDP, especially to be affected by the fund crunch are the two elevated corridors coming up respectively between Indira Park and VST Junction, and between Nalgonda Crossroads and Owaisi Junction. Both the flyovers were designed as steel bridges, with steel being used instead of RCC for casting major part of the structure.
Steel was chosen for speedy completion of the works, but as irony would have it, the steel component in the design is proving to be a hurdle in terms of funding. “Steel parts have to be ordered to design from SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited), and unless full payment is made, they will not send the consignment. Fund releases have been paltry so far, hence it could easily take two more years for the bridges to take final shape,” an official shared under the condition of anonymity.
Though getting government sanction way back in 2018, the flyovers had been delayed due to various reasons. Tenders were finalised only last year, and the projects were launched in July, 2020.
The 2.61-kilometre four-lane bidirectional elevated corridor between Indira Park and VST has been designed with an estimated cost of ₹ 350 crore. It will help commuters to avoid four junctions namely at NTR Stadium, Ashoknagar, RTC Crossroads and Baghlingampally junction.
The four-lane bidirectional corridor between Nalgonda crossroads and Owaisi Junction will be of 3.382 kilometres length, and an estimated cost of ₹ 523.37 crore. It will pass via Saidabad, IS Sadan, Chanchalguda and Dhobighat junctions, thereby reducing traffic delays.
Delay in completion of the flyovers could cause enormous traffic inconvenience, as roads have been dug up at both locations for laying of foundations. Already, commuters are facing severe hardships negotiating their way through the narrow strip of road on the VST-Indira Park stretch.
“Each of these projects needs release of about ₹ 30 crore per month for completion before the deadline next year. As of now, the releases do not cross ₹4 crore to ₹5 crore per month,” informed the official.
