JNTU Students Seek Pedestrian Link To Metro Station

Hyderabad: Despite a station being located next to its boundary wall of JNTUH, a Metro Rail ride is not helpful for university’s staff or students as the varsity’s entrance is located 2 km away from the station — a detour that many say is leading to missed morning classes, fatigue, and safety concerns. The reason? Vastu concerns.

“I use the Metro every day, but the long walk eats into my class time. I’ve missed several first-hour lectures because of this,” said Rohith Ch, a final year student. “Even when I make it on time, I’m too drained to focus properly.”

The situation worsens at the university’s main gate, which opens to a congested road with no foot overbridge. Students and employees are left to cross multiple lanes of heavy traffic without a safe crossing point. “Crossing the road there is risky. There are buses, autos, two-wheelers — everyone’s rushing. I’ve had a few close calls,” said Brahmam Jain, another student.

These concerns were raised once again in a formal representation submitted to the university earlier this week, urging the administration to set up a revolving gate at the metro side to provide direct campus access, and to construct a foot overbridge near the main gate to reduce the risk of accidents.

It pointed out that the lack of a direct access point was contributing to unnecessary time loss and physical strain, especially for students attending morning classes under tight schedules. “We’re not asking for luxuries, just the basic infrastructure to reach class on time without putting our safety at risk,” said one of the students who signed the appeal.

Prof. Dr K.M. Lakshman Rao, professor of transportation engineering at JNTU, said that the placement of the university’s main gate, influenced by vastu considerations, may not align with optimal traffic flow. “The current gate opens onto a mobility-heavy left turn. Ideally, the main entrance should have been located either towards the national highway or centrally aligned in the direction of Hitec City,” he said. He suggested that a second gate, possibly at the start of the elevated highway, could serve as a safer and more efficient main access point.

He also recommended that a revolving pedestrian gate be opened near the administrative building, opposite the air pollution mitigation unit, as it would significantly reduce travel time for metro commuters. “There’s already a lane behind the examination branch that connects to this proposed pedestrian point. It would not only make access easier for those entering from the metro, but also promote internal pedestrian movement on campus,” he added.

Regarding road safety, Prof Lakshman Rao said a pedestrian flyover near the university’s main entrance had been surveyed nearly two years ago and found to be feasible. “JNTU is a high-mobility zone. A pedestrian overbridge here isn’t just about academic convenience, it’s both for public safety and social connectivity,” he said.

He suggested that the university could consider creating a continuous pedestrian sidewalk along the campus wall, which could serve both as a walking space for the public and a green, accessible promenade that encourages fitness and non-motorised mobility.

Though earlier university officials reportedly instructed for some of these improvements to begin, students say there’s been no visible progress on the ground. With a new academic session approaching and daily inconveniences piling up, many are urging the administration to prioritise these long-standing access and safety issues before they lead to more serious consequences.