Though the monsoon has arrived in the city, digging up main roads and internal roads continues unabated even though this is dangerous for those who use the roads. Citizens are demanding that Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, AP Transco, Roads and Buildings department, Water Board, Central Discom and other agencies immediately stop all road cutting operations until the rainy season is over.
“The road from Begumpet Airport crossroad, below the flyover, to Shoppers Stop is in shambles. And they call it a highway and have named it after Sardar Patel! The condition of the road is an insult to the great freedom fighter. There is no bitumen at all. The work has been going on for two months now and there is no sign of restoring the dug-up road even as rains have started to pour down,” said an angry J. Ravi, who travels on this route daily from his home in Bowenpally to his office in Punjagutta.
Motorists complain of traffic jams on all main roads, particularly Sardar Patel Road due to the carriageway narrowing down at Kochar Apartments. The construction of two culverts on either side of the road, to increase the right of way, has been going on for more than a year now and it looks like it will not be ready in the near future.
“The Minister’s Road was dug up to lay underground cables of AP Transco and Central Discom six months back. Though the work seems to have been completed, the road has not been re-carpeted with bitumen. Go to any main road, you find potholes that are turning into craters. Are the civic authorities waiting for a motorist or two to lose their lives before they take up restoration of dug-up roads? The GHMC and R&B department should immediately re-carpet all dug-up roads,” said an irate Mr K. Trideep of Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar.
Even the internal roads, lanes and by-lanes have been dug up for laying cables.