Hyderabad: The Army has started blocking more roads. Apart from the four AOC main junctions, the road from Cavalry Barracks to All Saints Road and the road from Lal Bazaar leading to the Kohe Imam-e-Zamin dargah at Ammuguda are randomly being closed.
The first road is the only route from Yapral to Trimulgherry. The second is not an A1 category defence road. There is government-owned land between the defence establishments.
DC reader M.S. Sreedevi, in a letter to this newspaper, said, “The Army is blocking the the only road from Yapral to Trimulgherry in the name of security, but surprisingly it is done only during the day..” The block has made commuting for Yapral, Balajinagar, Kowkoor and colonies behind Sainikpuri very tough.
Military officials have also constructed a gate at the CSD Canteen, Roberts Road Circle, near MCEME Auditorium, and have started blocking traffic at this junction, which is a vital link on the road from the northern parts of the city to Secunderabad.
Yapral resident Pankaj Sethi said, “Earlier Army authorities had closed the Lakdawala Junction, Balajinagar road, cutting off colonies from Rajiv Rahadari, and forcing them to take routes that were longer by as much as 8 km. Now access from the northern areas to the main city is also in jeopardy. This latest closure will put further pressure on the congested Trimulgherry and Lothkunta junctions.’’
Sylvan Greens, Yapral, resident Dr Venugopal Rao Appani said, “Because of road closures, property values are going down in the area. Residents are wondering why they should pay municipal taxes if the corporation is not able to ensure proper roads for them. Residents are disillusioned with the state government for not looking into road closure which is playing havoc with connectivity between the city and its north eastern suburbs.”
An Army officer who didn’t want to be quoted said, “No new road is being permanently block-ed, the jawans have been instructed to check vehicles as these roads pass through sensitive defence establishments, like the Military College of Electronics and Mechani-cal Engineering. The gates are constructed on roads owned by the Army. No vehicle is asked to return unless it leads to restricted area.”
