Hyderabad: Road widening in Old City triggers traffic chaos

Hyderabad: The State government and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation's (GHMC) town planning wing seem to be dilly dallying over the major road widening projects which were taken up four years ago. This initiative was taken up in order to improve road infrastructure in the city, address traffic chaos and also plan for the decades to come. However, the road widening plans are proving to be problematic to the residents and commuters of Old City rather than giving them some respite from traffic chaos.

Narrow roads and traffic congestion continue to plague commuters across Old City, as many road development works remain pending for last four years leading to inconvenience among residents and commuters. Residents alleged that the town planning officials deliberately delay the development work in the Southern part of the city, whereas the projects taken up in the Norther part of the city are completed within the given deadlines.

Due to delay in expansion of roads, traffic chaos has become a norm on the busy stretches, especially during peak hours. According to the locals, the GHMC started the Himmatpura-Fateh Darwaza-Doodh Bowli road expansion work five years ago but it is yet to complete as the officials of the town planning wing are executing the project with irregular gaps.

Mohammed Ahmed, TDP Minority Cell vice-president said, "After the demolition of houses and shops at places where the road widening works are taking place, the debris is left on the road. As a result, the debris spread over the road during the day and night hours and leave many people injured and has also reported deaths," he added.

Traffic jams are a common scenario in the Shalibanda, Charminar, Bahadurpura road, Shastripuram, Hussainialam, Himmatpura, Saidabad, Darulshifa where various road development works are still in progress. The GHMC officials are yet to complete property acquisition for the road widening works. Inordinate delays in completing projects has worsen the traffic congestion in the recent times. The major reason leading to traffic chaos is that after the demolition of houses and properties, debris are not cleaned leading to the spread of it on roads.

"Development is been mostly focused towards the east, west and northern side of the City and the Southern part of the city is being neglected in the worst way possible," said K Venkatesh, a resident of Lal Darwaza.

Moreover, the GHMC and traffic police with their lackadaisical attitude towards the Old city have never issued any traffic diversions for any civic works. At Khilwath road-Moti Galli-Murgi Chowk-Hussainialam though the major project of SW drain works is in progress on the stretch, the entire road has been closed, even RTC buses are not allowed. Following which, the commuters including the tourists visiting Charminar, Laad Bazar, Chowmahalla Palace are facing difficulties as there are no traffic diversions imposed and no official is concerned about the grievance of Old city citizens," pointed Ahmed.

Several times, AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi apprised the Minister for Municipal Administration K T Rama Rao about the situation in parts of Old city, including the completion of roads expansions and other development works, but no action has been taken up yet.

GHMC officials took up 20 road development works in the last three years across Chandrayangutta, Charminar and Yakutpura constituencies to tackle the existing bottlenecks. "Across South zone we have acquired around 1,000 properties to complete major road widening projects. The Old City will see a significant difference in the traffic scenario very soon," said a GHMC senior official.