GHMC aims for smooth traffic flow in Old City

Hyderabad: Land acquisition either for paving new roads or widening the existing ones is gaining pace in southern parts of city. The activity has intensified especially at six locations where works are at different stages of implementation.

GHMC has proposed land acquisition for road widening at six places, which is almost near near completion, while the process at three more places is awaiting the go-ahead the department of land acquisition. B Venkanna, the city planner, GHMC Charminar zone, informed that the stretches identified for land acquisition to take up road works are: Malakpet fire station to ACP Office Saidabad; ACP office to Madannapet graveyard via Owaisi Junction; Owaisi Junction to DRDL; Aramghar to Mir Alam filter; Miralam Filter to Zoo Park; and, Zoo park to Shamshanghat, Bahadurpura.

Explaining that the overall project cost would be approximately Rs.500 crore, including compensation to owners for loss property as well as works to pull down structures, Venkanna said there are a total of 494 properties which would be affected as part of the road-widening process being taken up by the GHMC.

Giving further details about the the identified locations, he said on the section of Malakpet fire station-ACP office, Saidabad, there are a total of 163 properties which have been identified and cleared for acquisition by the civic body. Likewise, Owaisi Junction to DRDL has total 47 properties, Aramghar to Mir Alam Filter 80 properties, Miralam Filter to Zoo Park 74 properties and Zoo Park to Shamshanghaat Bahadurpura 37 properties. According to officials, out of 47 affected properties from Owaisi Junction to DRDL, only 5 properties remain untouched.

In the case of 37 identified properties from Zoo Park to Shamshanghaat, Bahadurpura, only 9 structures remain to be pulled down. "However, land acquisition along the other three stretches from ACP office-Madannapet graveyard via Owaisi Junction, Aramghar to Mir Alam filter and Miralam Filter to Zoo Park is yet to begin as the request for land acquisition is pending for approval before the department of land acquisition," they explained.

Land acquisition for the remaining three stretches is expected to take a period of 90 days to complete the process from issue of notification to eliciting objections. If everything goes according to the plan, the works of land acquisition in all the identified stretches would be completed within three months, added the officials.