Hyderabad roads dug up, crater ridden as GHMC fails to meet monsoon deadline

HYDERABAD: GHMC banned road-cutting operations and set a deadline for completing road revamp works before monsoon, but several city areas remain inaccessible and difficult to commute with large stretches dug up or crater-ridden. Water pipeline and sewerage projects that kicked off in April are still far from completion.
The road near Begumpet's Shyamlal Building has been dug up by Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) to lay sewage pipelines and the stretch remains a commuters' nightmare.
"GHMC has begun partial laying of the cement road, but it doesn't serve the purpose as the stretch leads to a dug-up pit, where pipe-laying work is moving at snail's pace. We are forced to take a long detour via Shopper's Stop to reach our homes," said Darupalli Mahesh, a resident. In some areas, pipelines have been laid, but roads remain dug-up or laden with potholes.
Talking to TOI, a local resident Syed Shamsuddin Maghrabi said, "While pipeline-laying projects have been completed between Nampally and Bazarghat X Road, road works are pending and the entire stretch is dotted with craters." The situation is worse in Hussain Nagar Colony in BS Maktha, Brahmanwadi, Padmashri Hills Park Road in Bandlaguda and Gandhinagar.
With the onset of monsoon over a month away, GHMC issued a deadline of May 31 to all departments, including HMWSSB, TSTRANSCO and TSSPDCL to lay pipelines and execute underground cable work.
But the civic body is still grappling with its Strategic Nala Development Plan (SNDP) in the city, an ambitious project to stop waterlogging. "There is lack of coordination between GHMC and other departments that are digging up roads. Suddenly setting a stiff deadline is meaningless without proper supervision and phased works," said RTI activist Raj Kumar Singh told TOI.