Hyderabad: GHMC braces for monsoon, road works move into fast lane

Hyderabad: With the onset of monsoon season, the road construction projects are in full swing across the city. Of the total Rs 314.83 crore earmarked for the work, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has taken up road restoration activity and as many as 19 road construction projects have been completed contributing to the overall preparedness for the monsoon season.

The GHMC proactively framed a comprehensive plan and is aiming to mitigate the impact of heavy rains by effectively managing water stagnations and ensuring the safety of residents. Officials have also been asked to take up preventive measures for water stagnation and road works on priority.

According to GHMC, over 55 road works have been undertaken at a cost of Rs 314.83 crore,out of which 19 works worth Rs 63.75 crore are completed and 21 works with a total cost of Rs 125.03 crore are under progress. Besides this, 15 works worth Rs 126.05 crore are under the tender stage.

“We are taking up road works on a priority basis ahead of rains to prevent waterlogging. The new technology being used in building roads will prevent water stagnation,” said a senior officer at GHMC.

Elaborating on the project, the officer said the sanctioned amount is being used to lay new roads, re-carpet damaged roads, carry out repairs wherever required and many other works. “All the works are being carried out at night, to avoid traffic snarls and inconvenience to commuters. We are optimistic of completing the work before the rains start,” added the officer.

In addition to the existing Disaster Response Force teams under GHMC, separate special teams have also been formed specifically for monsoon-related emergencies. These teams will work alongside the designated budget of Rs 36.9 crore allocated by the GHMC for the Monsoon Action Plan.

The officer said that over 77,546 different types of works worth Rs 9,372.33 crore have been undertaken since the formation of Telangana till the financial year 2022-23. Out of which 23,750 works including CC, VDCC, BT completed with Rs 4,597.58 crore. 5,229 storm water works have been completed at a cost of Rs 936.37 crore and 48,567 different works have been carried out at a cost of Rs 3,839 crore.

In the financial year 2021-22 and 2022-23, over 11,830 works have been carried out at an estimated expenditure of Rs 2,940 crore of which 6,996 works worth Rs 441 crore have been completed. In the financial year 2023-24, around 4,567 works have been carried out at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore and 101 works have been completed at a cost of Rs 21.61 crore while the remaining works are under progress.