After being battered by torrential spells of rain in the last one month, the residents of Greater Hyderabad are now wagering their spines in a bargain for daily commute.
The bountiful rain has once again exposed the lacunae in planning of the supposedly global city, with potholes and pockmarked roads menacingly confronting the hapless citizens every day.
On several stretches that experienced even the slightest water-logging, BT has been washed away, revealing powdery sub-grade. Where the inundation was worse, no trace of road exists now, forcing commuters to go through the daily ordeal of back-breaking journeys.
The road on the flyover opposite Chief Minister’s camp office is in a pathetic condition, and so is the Necklace Road, which is touted as a tourist spot. The Serilingampally zone, which received rain almost every day, is the worst hit. At Gachibowli and Hi-Tec City, the sought-after localities by businesses and residents alike in western Hyderabad, over a kilometre-long stretch, right from the flyover to Biodiversity Junction and from Mindspace roundabout all the way up to Shilparamam junction, cries for attention.
Traffic crawls almost any time of the day, resulting in longer commute time. For two and three-wheeler users, it is a backbreaking journey over the pockmarked, dangerous stretch, while for car owners, it could potentially burn a hole in their pocket. Crater-like formation on road near Kendriya Vihar is forcing riders to dangerously negotiate their way around it, risking collision with oncoming vehicles.
The Nallagandla stretch, which has many bottleneck spots where road widening has not been not done, has turned worse owing to the showers.
The four-lane road from Khajaguda to Nallagandla took almost three years to be laid due to various delays. But the benefit of a widened road has been nullified by the stretches that are left incomplete.
Besides, approach roads leading into residential colonies and office complexes have been dug up and covered shoddily. As a result, the heavy vehicles getting off the main road near Delhi Public School and entering towards Lanco Hills and half a dozen apartment complexes, IT towers and those going towards Manikonda have a tough time with bumpy rides. Internal roads at Chitrapuri layout and Prashanthi Hills Colony have been reduced to a shambles.
The rain has left a tell-tale mark on the condition of Jubilee Bus Station-Trimulgherry road. Motorists travelling from JBS towards Secunderabad Club have to negotiate their way through potholed roads.
“It is testing our driving skill. Any wrong move may prove fatal if we are trailed by heavy vehicles,” said Masi Reddy, a consumer rights activist and a resident of Dairy Farm.
The worst stretch on this route is easily the road leading to Secunderabad Club, near Juloori Vajramma function hall at Karkhana. The road in front of the RTA,Trimulgherry, is a nightmare.
“Bumpy ride from Old Alwal to Secunderabad brought back the pain that I had suffered after a recent accident,” says Varun Sunil Raj, a resident of Old Alwal. The road between JBS and Tivoli theatre too is marked with several bad patches. Several stretches in the Cantonment limits are in similar straits, calling for immediate attention. The Punjagutta-Lingamapally stretch of the Vijayawada-Mumbai national highway, one of busiest arterial roads in the city, has been battered badly.
The BT wore out and potholes are developing on the road every time it rains, particularly at the spots where rainwater drainage is poor – near Erragadda metro rail station, on the Bharathnagar flyover, near Moosapet metro rail station, Allwyn Colony crossroads after Miyapur, Madinaguda and several others.
The stretch between JNTU and Lingampally has been the worst-hit as it is dotted with worn-out patches all through. Though the patches are repaired regularly, one spot after Moosapet metro rail station towards KPHB is perennially ridden with potholes, where the vehicles coming from Balanagar side take a U-turn to come on to the national highway towards KPHB.
The cup of woes overflows for commuters, even on stretches such as Malakpet, Bahadurpura, Dabeerpura, L.B. Nagar Crossroads, Errum Manzil road, Film Nagar road, Dammaiguda and Malkajgiri.
With inputs from M. Ravi Reddy, M.L. Melly Maitreyi, N. Ravi Kumar & B. Chandrashekhar
