Hyderabad: This time it’s not the Army but a society that has blocked a road at Vayupuri – Sainikpuri. Gates have been erected recently by the Vayupuri Air Force Officers Cooperative Housing Society.
These gates will be closed at 10 pm and opened at 6 am. On some roads, the night closure has already started.
These roads, passing through Vayupuri Colony, provide access from the arterial Trimulgherry-ECIL Road to Sainikpuri and the hundreds of colonies that have come up on the northern side of Sainikpuri.
These colonies have already been suffering because of closure of the Lakdawala Gate and other road blocks in the Cantonment area.
The gates have been erected next to the Vayupuri bus stop opposite Jagruti Bank on the Neredmet – A.S Rao Nagar Road.
In a complaint to the GHMC Malkajgiri Deputy Commissioner, the RWA of DLR Enclave stated, “The Air Force officers’ society is constructing gates at entrance points. For many decades colonies connected to these have been using this approach road; closing the roads have hampered the movement of residents residing at Maniksai Enclave, DLR Enclave, Sai Baba Officer’s Colony and many others. We have to travel 2 km extra to get to our homes during the closed hours.”
“The roads are maintained and owned by the GHMC…these are public main roads. Gates could be acceptable for those colonies that are at the end without any access to other roads. We have a lot of people who work in Hitec City, Gachibowli area, doing night shifts, it is difficult for them to take the long route home,” added P. Dharma Rao, secretary of Sri Sai Baba Officers’ Colony.
Malkajgiri GHMC officials said no permission was sought by the Vayupuri Air Force Officers Cooperative Society to erect gates and close the roads in the night hours.
The Vayupuri society members site security reasons for erecting gates. “There are an increasing number of house breaks and chain snatchings in the colony.
Several complaints to the local police station has not helped, thus the colony has decided to erect gates and close them during night hours; this has helped the society.
We feel more secured with the gates; it is not a gated community, however, the society has been formed since many from the Armed Forces live here, especially retired. This will be conveyed to the GHMC and we will seek permission for the same,” said a members who didn’t want to be quoted.
