A flighty project nearing completion

HYDERABAD: The Telugu Talli flyover near the Secretariat which had drawn criticism for sloppy planning and tardy progress is nearing completion.
Though the construction is likely to be completed before the polls, the flyover would be opened to traffic only about three months after its completion, a Hyderabad Urban Development Authority official said.
The foundation stone for the flyover was laid seven years ago, aiming to divert traffic from NTR Marg and Secretariat Road to the flyover and then either to the Tankbund or the Lower Tankbund. The construction was to be completed within 18 months. However, the plans kept changing and the initial plan of one arm coming up from NTR Marg to the flyover was shelved, the official said.
Finally, the two spans of the flyover, which were virtually dangling in the air, will be joined near the Ambedkar statue off Tankbund.
"We faced a lot of problems due to bad planning. They changed the plans several times causing a financial drain on our construction company as it is still being built at the 1998 rates," a supervisor at the flyover site said.
The latest problem is that of allotting space for the service road. While Huda wants a 30-foot service road at Lower Tankbund, the residents are crying foul, saying the government is robbing the people of their right to shelter in the name of projects.
The flyover won''t be of much use to motorists for it won''t serve the purpose of those going to Tankbund and towards Domalguda, a resident of Lower Tankbund said. It will land towards the Lower Tankbund, where not many people use the road, he said.