Two weeks after Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao wrote to Union defence minister Manohar Parrikar against the closure of the Gough Road in Secunderabad from December 1, the ministry has reportedly postponed the decision.
According to a report in the Times of India, the ministry of defence told the local military authorities that the decision to close down Gough Road should be put off till May 31, 2016 and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) should develop an alternative road network.
Speaking to the newspaper, SCB CEO Sujatha Gupta said "Responding to Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's letter addressed to defence minister Manohar Parrikar seeking postponement of the road closure till alternative road network is developed, the Union minister has decided to put off the decision till May 31."
The Gough Road is used by thousands of residents of Marredpally, Trimulgherry, Sainikpuri as a link to get to Hyderabad and this latest move comes after a long battle between the people and the authorities.
It started in February 2014, when the army put out a notice which claimed that the entire area would be blocked, and the general public was advised to use main roads to reach their destination.
Following protests by welfare associations, a case in the Hyderabad high court and multiple delegations visiting Parrikar, the army authorities had put off the move until last month when they announced that the road would be closed from December.
The alternate road that people will currently have to take is narrow, crowded and witnesses a traffic jam at least two or three times a day, citizens say.
However, the army authorities later added that they would let emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire fighters through the road.
KCR while reminding Parrikar about the meeting with the delegation added that an analysis of traffic and impact of closure of roads passing through the cantonment, revealed extreme pressure on many traffic junctions abutting the area.
He also added that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is ready to construct the new alternate roads, provided that the AOC centre authorities cooperate in honoring the proposals put forth by the GHMC authorities to mitigate the hardship faced by the commuters.