Hyderabad: Lockdown helps GHMC fast-track road works

Hyderabad: The maintenance wing of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has completed road works worth Rs 450 crore, utilising the traffic-free time during the lockdown period.

GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar said that as per the directions of Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Ramarao, various works under Comprehensive Road Maintenance Programme (CRMP) were completed fast. "During normal conditions, the working hours for laying of BT roads is from 11 pm to 5 am (6 hours) daily and the turnover would have been about 1.5 km of a 4-lane road.

During lockdown the working hours were increased to 14 hours per day and by deploying multiple sets of machinery, the CRMP agencies could lay about 250 km of BT roads and a few VDCC roads. The value of work done is Rs 320 crore till date and likely to complete works worth about Rs 400 crore by the end of July. Apart from this, other contractors of GHMC also took advantage of lockdown conditions and completed works worth about Rs 50 crore in various circles. GHMC engineering maintenance wing utilised the lockdown conditions to provide hassle-free roads of a total value of Rs 450 crore. As per the CRMP, strengthening and re-carpeting of 50 per cent of roads i.e., out of 709 km of roads, 331 km have to be completed by the CRMP agencies this year," he added.