A combination of pre-monsoon showers and road construction work is making commuting in Hyderabad a nightmare.
Road cutting and excavation work in various parts of Hyderabad that continues through the rainy season has become not only inconvenient for commuters but are also leading to accidents. Roads in the Old City are especially affected.
On early Saturday, a truck carrying wood bundles overturned after hitting a crater at Azampura colony in Old City.
“This road has become dangerous for us, a small part of the road caved inside. We are even afraid to use this road for traveling in bikes now,” said Stanley Anand, a shop owner in that area.
However, the people of this area alleged that this is not the only case, in the past few days, similar incidents have happened. On Monday, a truck’s tire got caught in a crater after the road caved in.
“For the past 15 days, construction work has been going on. The workers have not put the road back and have instead just put mud after the construction work. Now the soil has loosened and caved,” says Mohammad Zain, another resident of Azampura, where the incident happened.
However, instead of finding a solution for the commuters’ woes, authorities are playing the blame game.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) claims that since it was due to sewage pipeline leakage that the road caved in, it is the responsibility of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) to lay the road after the construction.
“It is the responsibility of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) to lay the road after construction and look into the leakage issue, however, now the GHMC workers are rectifying the issue and inspecting the area,” says Ghouse Mohiuddin, from maintenance wing of GHMC.
The officer also agrees that these issue can lead to accidents and says inspection will be done on regular basis for such issues.
“They keep saying inspection will be done, but nothing is being done. The roads have gone from bad to worse. This area is one of the busiest areas during Ramzan. Now the residents of Azampura, have put tires or stick for commuter’s safety. Few days back a school bus also caved in due to the same reason, though no one got hurt, but the roads are not safe for people,” alleged, Syed Irfan, who lives in that area.
Zain claims that after the rain the road becomes slippery, as HMWSSB did not clear the mud after construction work.
The HMWSSB official however told TNM that the restoration work has been taken care by the workers of the water board.
“After the construction and restoration, the GHMC officials should wait for at least two months before laying BT road. This is the reason why the condition of the road is poor. They have immediately laid the BT roads after the restoration done by HMWSSB,” said Maria Raj, Deputy General Manager of HMWSSB in Azampura area.
Stanley also alleged that, due to the construction work going on, on the opposite side of the road, the traffic is also being diverted to the Azampura colony. “Several people use this road, officials should take responsibility and fix the road properly. There is road digging work going on at opposite side, and condition of Azampura road is even worse. Where should people travel?” he adds.
The problem is not limited to the Old City as digging work is also going on in Panjagutta.
“The road was kept open for two days. After the restaurants nearby complaint they have put barricades. When it rains the pit gets filled with water. This should be a concern of the municipality and the water board. Why are they digging up roads in the monsoon? what were they doing whole summer?” says V Harsha, a daily commuter in Panjagutta area.
According to reports, several places have been identified where road cutting and digging work has been going on.
In Balkampet, S R Nagar Colony, Sulaiman Nagar, and Jambagh area road cutting and digging work is being carried out by various agencies. The sewage and pipeline work has also been going on, making it hard for commuters to travel during the rain, reports The Hindu.