Hyderabad: Army authorities have extended the restriction time by 10 minutes in the mornings on AOC roads. The gates will now be shut from 10 pm to 7.10 am now every day. The extension is due to physical training and regular practice sessions held in open spaces for Army recruits.
However, the extra time is causing hardship to civilians with the queue of vehicles beginning from Safilguda Gate going up to Anandbagh in the mornings. The alternative roads at Trimulgherry and Tukaram Gate have not been given any facelift; by now the GHMC should have had a proposal for road widening and grade separators.
Mr Suresh Bhattu, a resident of Anandbagh, said, “Since schools open early in the mornings waiting even for five minutes is difficult as we have to drop them on time. By the time the gates are opened it takes another 10 minutes for the traffic to clear. The queue is from the Safilguda railway station to Anandbagh crossing. Due to the restriction the route from Mettuguda has also become congested. Many even take the long Moula Ali route.”
Corporate employees working in shifts which start early in the morning are also facing delays.
Regarding the development of alternative routes the GHMC authorities stated that it would take at least 18 months from the date the local Army authorities hands over sufficient land to widen roads in the Cantonment area.
The suggested alternative routes are a 100-foot road from AOC to the Safilguda railway gate measuring 5.5 km, a 60-foot road from Willington to Tirumulgherry Hanuman temple and a 100-foot road from AOC, EMC to R.K. Puram ROB stretch measuring two km.
