Hafeezpet Road turns accident-prone

Hafeezpet: Over the years, Hafeezpet Road aka Manjeera Pipeline Road has been used by the traffic police as a pass-through route to reach Hi-Tec City from Hafeezpet, Chandanagar, Miyapur, and KPHB and has been witnessing a heavy traffic in recent years, but GHMC has been ignoring the uplift and widening project that is much needed for the road.

Manjeera Pipeline road is a 30-meter road from Hi-Tec City Railway Station to Hafeezpet Railway Station and is supposed to be a master plan by the GHMC. But, due to lack of infrastructure support and GHMC negligence, the road has become a boon for encroachers and perilous for denizens. The stretch has turned into an accident-prone area and is unsafe for commuters and residents.

"The shops have proliferated on both sides of the narrow road and entered the 100 ft buffer zone of Railway tracks. An open channel (Nala) near Gopal Nagar mixes with the road without any safety signs displayed. In the rainy season, the condition of the road becomes worse, as the channel water overflows on to the narrow road. Cleaning of the nala has never happened, so when it rains the narrow road fills with stagnant water," a commuter and resident said.

Neither there are any street lights on both sides of the road nor footpaths, the commuter said. The residents and commuter are suffering a lot. Construction and demolished debris of nearby sites are dumped alongside the road and no government official monitors it. The stretch has become dusty and polluted, the commuter added.

A major bottleneck happens on the road under bridges (RuB) near Indu Apartments 215 & 216 and HMWSSB Reservoir boundary near Sirla Park junction. The station is the closest MMTS station for several software companies and is used by thousands of techies each day. In the evening, a barricade is partially opened for two-wheelers to pass, which becomes yet another choking point. Some rule breakers try to fit in their cars or autos trough the gap causing further traffic congestion. During rains, the plight of the commuter becomes worse, as the water from nala also spills over on the road.

"The work for the reconstruction of the RuB is progressing at a snail's pace. The work that started in November 2018 is scheduled to be completed before May 2019, but the work is still pending and it not even reached halfway," a nearby resident said.

A resident said, "All we need is a dedicated corridor with a 4 lane road and proper footpaths, transport, and lighting at nights. A couple of 4 lanes RuB's, and a 100-meter road can ease the traffic and chaos in the area. GHMC must understand the necessity of the road, as it is a key junction that connects a major area to Hi-Tec City."