It is a classic case of the rush of development failing to get complemented with improvement in the required infrastructure. In a very short span of time after Madhapur and its vicinities were promoted as IT hubs, the West Zone of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) grew into prominence, with the entire area witnessing a metamorphosis.
The new areas that emerged here in the last decade added a new dimension to the city with plush residential structures, high-end software offices, sprawling campuses and swank commercial outlets. Yet, all these have been forced to manage with little basic infrastructure, whether it be poorly maintained roads, debris and garbage strewn around or badly managed traffic conditions and little to boast of drinking water supply. In fact, seeking global attention, several of the much publicised hi-tech areas have no proper drainage network!
The GHMC’s West Zone is spread over 14 wards from Serilingampally and Kukatpally to Chandanagar and Gachibowli, most of which are sought-after destinations for development and precious slices of real estate.
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Most areas are in the grip of frenzied construction activity, and new residential colonies are springing all over, but the common lament at most places is about lack of amenities.
In some big residential groupings such as BHEL MIG Colony, garbage collection has not been effective thanks to absence of dumping facilities. Bad road conditions are a perennial problem in most places including stretches such as the one connecting Kondapur with Gachibowli through Chirec School campus and in front of Doyens Colony on the Mumbai Old Highway.
Potholes and craters form at regular intervals, and after a hue and cry is raised, they are filled and repaired only to open up again in a few weeks. Scores of colonies have been coming up in Tellapur and Nallagandla, and residents along with those from the already teeming townships on the side of Serilingampally complain of a lack of connectivity towards Gachibowli and Madhapur.
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“The small passage below the railway tracks has been neglected for years, and given the increasing traffic and bad roads, crossing here is a nightmare,” said Phanindra Sharma of Tellapur village.
The construction of a flyover on the other side of the railway station has been going on for some time, and the work process has added more to the woes of motorists.
“Road stretches on either side of the railway tracks here have become potholed and dusty, and with vehicles vying for space , it is a nightmare every time we drive along,” laments Madhumitha Rani, a techie.
The main corridor winding through the IT areas of Madhapur and connecting the Gachibowli side and from Hafeezpet to Miyapur, too, has its own share of bad roads.
The bustling Kukatpally, KPHB colony and Vivekananda Nagar face similar problems, and the Metro Rail work on this highway only compounds problems.
“Is it the inefficiency of our civic body or apathy that we have to put up with these kinds of roads here?” asks P. Sridhar Rao, a resident of Vivekananda Nagar. Serilingampally Corporator Neelam Ravinder says several slums in his area such as Anjaiah Nagar, Gopi Nagar, Nehru Nagar and Hafeezpet still have no proper water supply.
“Officials have been talking about a drainage network for a decade, but most areas here are still deprived of it,” Mr. Rao adds.