A big question mark on skyways, no end to traffic woes

Paradise/Kharkhana: For citizens travelling towards Bowenpally, Alwal and beyond the problem of traffic snarls is not to end soon as there is a big question mark on the Strategic Road Development Project (SRDP). Even after four years, the proposed skyways between Paradise and Kompally road and from JBS to Shameerpet remain on paper.

T Satish Gupta, joint secretary, Confederation of Cantonment Residents Welfare Association says, “Every morning during office hours there is a traffic jam between Secunderabad Club to Hanuman Temple and all commuters enter into colonies causing great inconvenience. Even residents are unable to take out their vehicles onto the road as a result.”

With the proposed plan of a 11.5 km skyway from Jubilee Bus Station to Air Force Station in Hakimpet on the Karimnagar highway and an elevated corridor from Paradise to Bowenpally check post on National Highway 44 on the back burner, it is back to square one as far as traffic woes are concerned. M Mahesh, a resident of P &T Colony says, “The traffic has trebled in the last year and even at 10 p.m. there are traffic jams near Trimulgherry junction.

A senior official of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) says, “The state government is not interested in taking up the project. It is a common practise to levy service charges and even the Hyderabad Metro Rail is paying the charges, but the State Government is unwilling.” It may be noted that the MAUD minister K T Rama Rao said in the assembly that it was an unrealistic demand by the SCB of demanding Rs 30 crore towards the loss of property tax in an eventuality of acquiring 100 acres of Defence land.’

ASL Rao, a retired railway employee and resident of Kharkhana says, “The only other alternative is to widen the road but as it is an election year, the state government would not take it up. The traffic woes would remain. There is no political will and the government is plainly not bothered.”