Hyderabad roads not monsoon ready

​Hyderabad: Monsoon has arrived sooner than later. But the city, which is reeling under severe heat wave conditions, is not yet geared up to welcome rains. Looks like, it has not yet learnt lessons from the last year. A brief drizzle is enough to inundate city roads.

Making the traffic go at a snail’s pace. Do we have to live with it this year too? The Hans India correspondent took a ride from Uppal to Begumpet, one of the prestigious corridors, to test the claims of the city fathers.

He spoke to several roadusers who frequent this stretch, which will give a broad idea of the rest of the roads in Hyderabad. The Uppal to Begumpet road, replete with potholes, is posing grave threat to commuters. Never a day passes without experiencing non-fatal accidents.

Riding or driving on bad stretches is a boneshattering experience taking toll on riders and vehicles as well. Riders on the 4-lane road stretching from Uppal crossroads to Begumpet on Tuesday narrated their difficulties. “What is the point of testing our driving skills for licence?

If we can ride on these roads it is good enough of passing the test itself. I almost lost control when I was riding at 60 kilometres per hour on the 4- lane road at Hubsiguda when I suddenly hit a bad stretch of road.

A two-wheeler rider next to me lost control and fell aside. We picked him up and took him to a hospital for treatment,” said Naresh Kumar (36) who lives at Hubsiguda Street No.8.

With such a bumpy ride, bikers are experience several health problems. Rohit (24), who works at a food delivery store, says: “I have been riding around the city for two years. I drive every day from Kothapet to Banjara Hills.

For the last 3 months, I have been experiencing severe lower back pain. Doctors said that my backbone has taken too many hits due to riding and might dislocate if I put more pressure. I have been asked to take complete bed rest for two weeks.

This wouldn’t have happened if the roads were smooth.” Riding on these roads may not show immediate effect on the vehicles, but in the long run, the wear and tear of vehicles is quite damaging. The effect reflects when vehicle goes for servicing.

Suresh, a mechanic at a servicing centre in Begumpet, explains that maximum damage to vehicles is caused by bumpy roads. “Roads definitely affect the stability of the bike. Suspensions are engineered for regulated speed-breakers but not for surprise potholes.

If the bike hits more bumps than speed-breakers then gradually the suspensions will lose their efficiency. We get a lot of bikes with slightly dislocated handles and loosened body parts which might not seem like an issue initially, but in the long run the bike’s performance will degrade.”

By: SASIDHAR KOCHARLAKOTA