Hyderabad: Welcome to potholed hell! Commuting nightmares haunt Nizampet residents

Hyderabad : The pothole-filled road connecting Nizampet and Bachupally is a major recurring problem for both locals and commuters, despite Nizampet Municipal Corporation (NMC) limits being one of the fastest-growing suburbs in the city. Unfortunately, the corporation has not addressed this issue. Many fatal accidents have been reported, making the entire stretch a dead trap for travellers.

Last year, NMC planned to develop a 120-feet road with a cycling track. However, the plan remained only on paper, and the pothole-ridden road has been neglected for the last two years. Many accidents have occurred; in one fatal accident from last year, an eight-year-old student was crushed to death by a speeding school bus. Despite the fact that the incident was brought to the notice of officials several times, they closed the complaint, stating that the work had been completed, the locals alleged.

“We have held numerous protests and filed several Right to Information (RTI) requests in the last two years, but all of them fell on deaf ears. Whenever we raise the issue with the officials, they only fill in the two- to three-foot-deep potholes with sand; however, this is not a long-term solution; the entire road needs to be re-carpeted. Every year, during the monsoon, we face terrifying experiences,” said Srinivas Bellam, a resident of Nizampet.

“There was a plan to develop a 120-feet stretch, but it appears that the corporation is only interested in laying an internal road, while the officials are not bothered about fixing the potholes on the main road. Whenever we complain to the officials of Nizampet Municipality, they inform us that this road is under the jurisdiction of the Road and Building Department. As a result of this confusion, commuters utilising this road suffer,” said Sai Teja, a social activist and a resident of Nizampet.