KTR pushes for making footpaths pedestrian-friendly

Hyderabad: To enhance safety of pedestrians across Hyderabad, Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao on Thursday instructed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials to establish footpaths at all feasible locations. He stated that safety of pedestrians is of paramount importance to the government and urged both Municipal Administration and Police departments to work in close coordination to ensure pedestrian safety in Hyderabad city.

KTR held a meeting with the officials from City police, GHMC and other concerned departments regarding the construction, expansion and planning of footpaths in the city. He said that while the State government has built several infrastructure projects to ease traffic congestion in Hyderabad City, there is still a lot of scope to improve infra for pedestrians. He said that only new and innovative solutions will address constant challenges faced in improving infra in a fast-growing city like Hyderabad and added that the provision of new road infrastructure, road expansion and improving pedestrian infra have always been a priority for the Telangana government.

Rao said that the number of vehicles plying on the city roads increased by multi-fold in the past few years and issues raising out of it can be solved only by simultaneously strengthening public transport. He also discussed the possibility of laying new cycling tracks and footpaths for walkers.

According to GHMC, the corporation is developing 60 junctions in the city and infrastructure facilities are being provided at around 12 junctions with pedestrians as the main focus. They said that new junctions are being developed in many areas like Kukutpally, Somajiguda, Punjagutta, Kothapet, Habsiguda and Khairtabad.