Hyderabad: Traffic snarls to continue due to delay in infrastructure work

Hyderabad: Commuters will suffer severe inconvenience and stuck in massive traffic jams, not only this year but also the next, due to extended deadlines of all infrastructure projects. A preliminary survey conducted by the corporation found that apart from natural water-logging points, infrastructure projects have created more than 100 stagnation points across the city. Officials claimed that they would only clear water stagnation points using water pumps but cannot prevent traffic snarls. However, they have assured that a review meeting pertaining to minimise traffic snarls during peak hours will be conducted on Thursday with representatives from the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), Hyderabad Software Exporters' Association (HYSEA) and Cyberabad Security council officials.

According to highly placed sources, the delay in several projects including the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP), road laying and other skyway projects will result in severe inconvenience. The corporation has almost grounded 90 per cent of the infrastructure projects under the SRDP out of 52 embarked. Barring the flyover and under pass at Mindspace junction, underpass at Chintalkunta, two flyovers at LB Nagar and a skyway, the corporation has not managed to complete a single project under any package.

Officials claimed that on the east side of the city, the civic body had grounded a underpass at LB Nagar junction, two skyways, in the west part of the city the corporation is yet to complete the flyovers at Biodiversity junction, Jubilee Hills Road No 45, Madhapur, Hitec City, Kothaguda, Shilparamam. In the south part, the corporation has managed to complete construction work at Bahadurpura crossroads.

Sources said that due to pressure from people and politicians during the election season, they were forced to allow traffic on a few flyovers though only one side of it was completed. For instance, the corporation has already allowed traffic near Mindspace junction flyover and underpass without completing the skyways at Biodiversity and Hitec City which has added to the traffic issue.

The cascading effect is that heavy traffic from Biodiversity, Madhapur, Gachibowli, and Khajaguda have been accumulating at every junction in the IT corridors. Similar is the case at LB Nagar and Kukatpally. This apart, the financial crisis has been loomed large over the SRDP project.

Thanks to back-to-back elections, the corporation escaped criticism, citing the model code of conduct. The deadlines for all infrastructure projects have been extended by at least a year with a clause of regular payments. The ongoing projects have made the existing roads further narrow and damaged them.

A senior GHMC official said that even though traffic congestion was reported all over the city, they have instructions from higher authorities to focus on the IT corridors. The official termed software professionals as Twitter warriors who demand better infrastructure without voting. He said that they have been making huge noises on social media when compared to others residing in the city. He said that traffic snarls will worsen if infrastructure projects are not completed on time and as of now, over 100 water stagnation points have newly emerged. He said that they would be completed in at least two years and commuters would continue to face traffic snarls.