Road choked as drainage work lies in limbo

A portion of the road in front of Model House in Punjagutta was dug up for widening the storm water drain about two years ago. However, it has been lying idle since a year and the equipment too has been dumped outside callously, further blocking the road.

What started out as a means to help people ease the water problems has now become a nightmare of sorts. The GHMC had taken up underground tunnel works here as part of widening the storm water drain which starts near GVK Mall and connects to the drain near Yashoda Hospital in Somajiguda. The tunnelling could not be taken up as water pipelines and other cable wires were to be shifted. Since a year, there hasn’t been much activity here.

A ditch has been dug to lay the huge pipeline. It is blocked by barricades on two sides and a side is blocked by parked autorickshaws and pick-up trucks. However, one side is still unprotected and can be dangerous.

This road connects motorists to Banjara Hills from Punjagutta through Dwarkapuri colony, and is widely used as a short cut. But ever since the work has started, it has only enhanced traffic congestion as it blocks almost the entire road leaving little space for traffic to pass. Though the road was to be blocked completely, motorists are still found to be using it.

During monsoons, and even during the light summer showers seen last month, water gushes into the dug-up portion. Due to debris and mud, the road becomes slippery and unmotorable. Many times, two-wheelers have been seen slipping especially when the road is wet, thus resulting in accidents.

“I have stopped using this pass completely. I prefer using a longer route to avoid the congestion. The road too is terrible to use. I haven’t seen anybody working here since about a year,” laments T Krishna, a resident of the area.

More than residents, the shopkeepers are affected by this. Since there is no parking available here due to the pipeline, customers don’t prefer shopping here. “Model House is famous for shopping in the area. Prior to the digging, there were many customers coming to us. But now we have seen a sharp decline in footfall. In fact, people drive past our parking to reach Punjagutta main road. Our sales have gone down by about 30 per cent since,” says Ravi G, who runs an electronic appliances store in the complex.

The GHMC corporator, B Raju Yadav, remained unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts to contact him. By the looks of it, it seems that the work is going to take a long time to finish, if and when it starts. Meanwhile the residents, shopkeepers and motorists have to ‘adjust’ with the inconveniences due to the delay.

Tags: drainage, featured, full-image, Punjagutta, road block

Category: City, City News