While the Hyderabad Metro Rail works are going on in full swing, the traffic situation has turned worse thanks to the potholes, dust and road diversions. DCP Traffic, Hyderabad, A.V. Ranganath said the GHMC has to widen the roads to ease traffic congestion at numerous places where Metro Rail pillars and the staircases at Metro stations have narrowed down the carriageway.
“There is no alternative. There are also religious structures that need to be relocated. The traffic police is trying various measures including closure of junctions and providing U-turns some 50 to 100 metres from the junctions to ease congestions.”
While this is so, the Hyderabad Metro Rail has been slow in meeting the conditions for construction of the project in terms of maintenance of roads and posting of traffic assistants, among others.
Khairatabad to Gandhi Bhavan
Khairatabad to Gandhi Bhavan
Metro stations: Khairatabad; Lakdikapul; Assembly; Nampally; Gandhi Bhavan
Traffic snarls are being reported every day opposite the Assembly and Ravindra Bharathi owing to the pillar works. Over 80,000 to 1 lakh vehicles pass through this junction per hour.
It’s the busiest route as it connects the old city, Tank Bund and Lakdi-ka-Pul. Ram Mohan, a resident of Nampally railway quarters, said, “The road opposite Ravendra Bharathi (side gate facing the state police headquarters) has become very narrow due to the pillar works.
Metro officials should have removed the debris and cleared the stretch. Three pillars are being built opposite the Assembly, which is a major cause of jams. The Metro officials have made the public garden route one-way, which means commuters coming from Assembly now have to take the Westside internal road. This is the main route for Stanley College, Sujatha School etc. Traffic gets stuck here throughout the day.”
At Khairatabad the pillars’ construction has been completed except for the connectivity opposite Oyster Square building. The turning before the Lakdi-ka-Pul flyover has been confusing commuters. Firstly, the pillars opposite the Hyderabad collectorate office has been laid right in between of the main road. This is also a major halting stop for inter state buses, creating more jams.
HMR’s Promise: Widen the roads first, remove bottlenecks and acquire properties before starting work.
Problem areas:
- Lakdi-ka-Pul: Properties on either side, only for 5 to 10 feet, have been acquired, which has not helped.
- Sewage choked at Lakdi-ka-Pul station due to which the water is constantly overflowing.
- Junction opposite Public Gardens requires traffic signs.
- Below the Khairatabad flyover, works have started before relocating or making alternative arrangements for a bus stop outside the railway station.
- Carriageway from Nampally crossroads to Exhibition Grounds signals reduced as the acquired properties have not been demolished. Debris too has not been removed.
What can be done?
- Since the Assembly junction witnesses over 80,000 vehicles per hour, work should be speeded up.
- The road after Public Garden signals should be repaired.
- Traffic marshals are needed at the alternative route adjacent to Westside connecting the Public Garden signals.
- As soon as the Assembly session concludes, barricades should be removed to make more space for commuters going towards Lakdikapul.
- Statue at the entrance to the Khairatabad Ganesh temple needs to be relocated.
- Road should be widened from the Nampally signal up to the Exhibition Ground signal.
Jubilee Hills CheckPost to Madhapur Junction
Metro stations: Jubilee Hills check post, Peddamma Temple, Madhapur
The already crowded Jubilee Hills check post junction has become worse with the Metro pillars. The need of the hour is to repair the roads and widen them. Many properties have yet not been acquired and the pillars have further narrowed the damaged roads.
Corporate employee Zaheer Khan said, “Massive traffic snarls, especially at Kavuri Hills and the Peddamma Temple turning, the turn at SVM Malls are dangerous, as is the one opposite the Neeru Emporium building.
The road can accommodate one four and one two-wheeler at a time. There’s no scope for others to pass when an RTC bus passes. Bad roads is another major cause for slow traffic, the roads are wide only after the My Home Hub.”
Problem areas:
- Unused material is dumped near Ayyappa Society.
- Most of the bottlenecks have not been removed at the Jubilee Hills junction.
- Construction of pillars at Madhapur junction has been halted before My Home Hub or NIFT; no work on the Metro station has commenced.
What can be done?
- GHMC and Metro rail authorities should speed up acquiring land for the pending cases near Ayyappa Society.
- New roads are immediately needed opposite the Kavuri Hills stretch and Ayyappa Society.
- Debris spread on to the roads should be cleaned and unused Metro material should be shifted out.
- The junction sorely needs traffic marshals, especially at the curves at Kavuri hills and Peddamma Temple.
- Equipment is also lying on the road and it becomes difficult for people to walk. These should be removed once the works are completed.
- Many barricades that are used for the works are lying around, making it difficult for people.
- The turning at Neeru’s showroom sees a lot of traffic jams due to the two pillars and the debris on the sides.
Yousufguda-Mahduranagar
Kukatpally Housing Board Colony
Metro stations: JNTU College, KPHB Colony and Kukatpally.
This area is worse during peak hours as traffic from the highway, housing colonies and also office traffic crowds the stretch. Commuters say that one caught in a jam, it takes two hours of bumper to bumper traffic to cross the stretch.
This is because although the pillar works and viaducts are ready, the roads have become narrow. On the sides are vendors of fruit, pots, ceramic and even plants.
Also, the side road can’t be utilised as it is for the vehicular traffic of the colonies. During peak hours, when traffic from the Mumbai Highway enters the city, the road is completely blocked.
HMR’s Promise
- HMR has widened the roads but it has not been able to keep them free from encroachments.
- These areas have wide roads and also a service road but yet the carriageway for traffic is affected.
Problem areas
- The major problem is huge areas on the roads are being utilised for parking.
- The staircase of the Metro station lands on the road due to which the lane gets blocked. There are no signage or indications put up by Metro Rail.
- Vendors block roads but the GHMC and Metro Rail have failed to evacuate them.
What can be done?
- Better traffic management is required
- The timings for heavy vehicles should be monitored so that they enter the city late at night.
- Luxury buses line up on one side of the road after 8 pm, making traffic movement slow and this needs to be prevented.
Yousufguda-Mahduranagar
Metro stations: Ameerpet, Madhuranagar and Yusufguda.
The road from Yousufguda to the Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy stadium is filled with potholes. Also, road extension has not been carried out here and is very narrow due to the works and the properties on this stretch.
Commuter Vijay Khandelwal said, “There are no roads in our area, only potholes. To add to this, the Metro works have broken sewers and also drinking water pipes. Despite complaining to the municipal authorities no repair works have been carried out.”
With works on the station going on along with construction works of pillars and viaducts, there is too much dust in the area. Homemaker P. Anuradha said, “Even walking on this stretch is not possible.
There is hardly any place. There are many machines, barricades and also too much of construction material lying in the corners.” Work is presently undergoing on this stretch as the viaducts have not been laid in the Ameerpet area, only the pillars have been constructed.
HMR’s Promise: Extension of roads and installation of signages.
Problem areas
- HMR is not maintaining the road from Yusufguda to the stadium and it’s a terrible ride for motorists.
- The authorities have not filled up the potholes or straightened the road.
- Equipment is lying on the road sides.
What can be done? Patch work needs to be done faster and they should not be left unfinished.
Sangeet to Mettuguda
Prakashnagar Junction to Sangeet Theatre
Metro stations: Parade Grounds, Paradise, Rasoolpura, Prakashnagar
The Shoppers Stop junction is labelled as one of the most dangerous zones to get stuck in traffic, say commuters. The jams at the shopping complex extend up to Hyderabad Public school, at times to the Begumpet flyover, for those coming from Panjagutta to Secunderabad. Laxman Naidu, a commuter, said, “Traffic gets stuck before the Begumpet Airport flyover, the station barricades occupy a major portion, plus barriers are put up to allow commuters from Paradise to Begumpet.
Below the flyover, the permanent pillars have been laid in the middle of the road (opposite Pace Hospital) so that only a bus and a two-wheeler can pass at one go, no scope four wheelers. The road is narrow up to Manohar Hotel.
It is then bumper to bumper traffic from Begumpet police station to the NTR statue signal. The narrow roads coupled with construction of the Rasoolpura station and barricading are making things worse.”
Another congested zone is the Paradise Metro Station , the traffic comes to a standstill before the flyover as the road below the bridge is narrow and works on the Paradise station are on.
Half of the road is barricaded and the main road at the signal is in a bad shape. For those heading from Secunderabad to Begumpet, the problem area is again the Prakash Nagar junction where traffic extends beyond the Begumpet fly over.
HMR’s promise: Metro Rail has been saying for two years that the Padma Hamsa Apartments issue will be settled but so far there has been no movement.
Problem areas
- Pillars have been erected up to Scared Space but have not gone further due to a pending court case regarding Padma Hamsa Apartments.
- Commuters fear that when the work begins, huge jams will be witnessed from Sangeet Junction towards Iskcon temple to St. Ann’s School.
- Hyderabad Metro Rail has failed to acquire the properties and begin works on the pillars. Due to this the bottlenecks are in the middle of the road.
- At Parade grounds, fruit vendors sit on the pavement endangering their lives and also those of commuters
- A large number of passengers wait on the road for buses. There is no indication or signage on this stretch.
What can be done?
- The chilla in front of the IOC petrol bunk and the Yellamma Renuka Devalayam temple opposite YMCA are a cause of jams.
- A new road needs to be laid at Paradise signal (near the Metro station).
- The traffic police should chalk out a plan for entry and exit of vehicles from Pace Hospitals, commercial establishments under the Begumpet flyover.
- Traffic marshals are needed on this stretch.
Tarnaka to Survey of India
Metro stations: Metro stations: Tarnaka, Habsiguda, NGRI and Survey of India.
The residents of the Tarnaka colonies are very upset as the stair case from the station lands on their main entry-exit roads. Residents have complained to the Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities regarding how the carriageway has narrowed, causing immense inconvenience.
Only one car can pass through the by- lane and the one coming from the opposite direction has to wait for it to pass. The staircase is becoming a major concern for motorists who have to now be very careful on this completed stretch.
At the same time, major diversions have been set up for Osmania University and also there are U-turns after at least 100 meters which are becoming a major concern for motorists.
HMR’s promise: Signage is not there. On the side demoilition works are still going on.
Problem areas
- Hyderabad Metro Rail has not put up any signage as to why the turn at Osmania University has been taken 50 meters away. This creates a lot of confusion on that road.
- The old house opposite the railway properties at Tarnaka has not been demolished which is narrowing down the carriageway.
What can be done? It is important for the government to look into the restrictions of the carriageway as it will be a major concern in future for vehicle users.
Sangeet to Mettuguda
Metro stations: Mettuguda and an interchanging station at the Secunderabad Railway station.
The major problem on this stretch is that the staircase of the Metro rail is landing almost in the middle of the road at Mettuguda junction, reducing the carriageway from 200 feet to 100 feet.
Pending relocation of religious structures and private properties is obstructing the free flow of traffic, mainly for vehicles coming from Tarnaka to Secunderabad.
Added to this are a range of hotels that are using this limited road for parking purposes, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road. Vehicular movement here is restricted as the completed works of the Metro have actually brought to light the exact available space for motorists in the city.
Also, the area now doesn’t have any space for a footpath. Hence whenever the Metro rail starts, people will have to actually come down on the road.
There is no parking space available as the area is completely congested and there are huge buildings all along. Viaduct works have been started near the railway station but at the Sangeet junction only pillars have been completed.
Problem areas
- Though HMR has widened the road, opposite Mettuguda, towards Secunderabad there is a lot of debris.
- Leakage from a sewage pipe has not been arrested due to which the area has a lot of overflowing water.
What can be done? Religious structures need to be relocated and a few private properties need to be acquired to ease traffic congestion at this point.
