LB Nagar flyover waits for netas to open it

LB Nagar: The construction of the new flyover over the LB Nagar junction was completed 10 days ago, but people are still waiting for its inauguration. They express doubts that it may be because of the absence of any state minister as the expansion of the state cabinet got delayed by more than two months. Prior to the assembly elections, the then municipal minister KT Rama Rao inaugurated a flyover at Kamineni Junction. 

The flyover has reduced the traffic issues in the area considerably. Speaking during the inauguration, he promised that another flyover would be thrown open within two or three months but that has not materialised although the flyover is ready for use. The new flyover at the LB Nagar junction, which is 780-meter long and 12-meter wide, would allow nearly 9,000 vehicles to use it every hour and would greatly ease traffic congestion on the highway. 

Given the heavy traffic on the highway, GHMC had declared earlier that the flyover would be started in February, but it seems very unlikely that it would be started this month as no minister is available for the inauguration of the bridge. Chandrashekhar Goud, state leader of BC Welfare Association who hails from the locality, said that this flyover would address traffic woes of thousands of commuters who travel to the city from the colonies on the outskirts and GHMC has already started one flyover on the road towards Uppal and Nagole. 

GHMC had estimated the cost of the flyover at Rs 448 crore and called for tenders but it handed over the works at a cost of Rs 341.41 crore, which is 7.99 per cent less than the estimated cost. GHMC Commissioner Dana Kishore, too, earlier planned to bring it to public use in the month of February. Commuters are anxiously waiting for this flyover to be inaugurated as the construction works are already complete. The government may incur public anger if the inauguration of the flyover is delayed any further, he warned. 

Devireddy Sudheer Reddy, the LB Nagar MLA, said that the flyover could not be inaugurated due to delay in the expansion of the cabinet although the construction of the flyover was completed 10 days back. He said that Telangana state government was formed 68 days ago but due to delay in the ministry formation many files are kept pending in the Secretariat, he alleged. 

In a few days, notification for the Parliament elections may be released and if the election code comes into effect, no development works could be initiated for the next three to four months, he said. He urged the state government to open the flyover for public use and free commuters from further traffic woes by letting any senior state official inaugurate the flyover.

  -b shettaiah goud