Telangana: Commuters Hit By Dual Road Closures In Malkajgiri

The road from Uttamnagar towards Secunderabad via the AOC area has been closed for nearly two weeks for CC road works, forcing residents of Anandbagh, Safilguda and nearby areas to take longer alternative routes, adding nearly 10 km to their journeys. Compounding the problem, the Vajpayeenagar railway gate towards Neredmet has also been closed for construction of a road underbridge (RUB).

Vasanth Kumar, a resident of Anandbagh, said: “We are forced to take small roads along the railway tracks to reach Secunderabad. The closure of the Vajpayeenagar railway gate has made it even more difficult to reach RK Puram and Neredmet. We now have to take a longer route via AS Rao Nagar.”

Santhosh Reddy of Safilguda, said: “Because of the road works, I have to take a longer route via Lalapet and Mettuguda to reach my office in Begumpet.” The simultaneous closure of the two roads, which otherwise provide shorter routes to Secunderabad and Trimulgherry, has put motorists, particularly office‑goers, under severe pressure.

With traffic diverted to other routes, the Ramakrishnapuram (RK Puram) bridge has been witnessing heavy congestion, raising concerns about the safety of the ageing structure.

The state government had proposed a new parallel bridge but the project did not materialise. It sanctioned ₹210 crore for the RK Puram flyover and ₹35 crore for the RK Puram RUB projects in December 2024.

Fazil Ahmad, a flower vendor, said the closure of the Vajpayeenagar railway gate had significantly increased his daily travel distance. “I used to take the Vajpayee Nagar railway gate road as it was very close to my shop. Now I have to take the AS Rao Nagar route, which adds 7 to 10 km to my journey,” he said.

Residents expressed concern that the road underbridge works would take considerable time to complete and urged the authorities to make suitable alternative arrangements to ease traffic during the construction period.

Meanwhile, Laxman, superintending engineer, Malkajgiri, said the CC road works on the Uttamnagar-AOC route would be completed within a month. “We have issued clear instructions to contractors to complete the works on the internal roads at the earliest. Until then, motorists should use alternative routes and cooperate,” he said.

Residents have urged the authorities to expedite the works and ensure effective traffic management until the affected roads are reopened.