Tired of government apathy, several residents in Secunderabad’s Malkajgiri area took to the streets on Sunday and named a road under bridge (RuB) after Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Working President KT Rama Rao, who is also the state’s former Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister.
The residents carried placards that reminded authorities that the project had not been completed though it has been six years since its inception and despite multiple promises from the state government.
Citizens said that the main road has been cordoned off for six years and the alternate roads provided were very narrow.
East Anandbagh RUB Malkajgiri long pending project in Hyderabad.@timesofindia @CommissionrGHMC @KTRTRS @KTRTRS @KTRoffice pic.twitter.com/CbRzudHSm8
— Swachh Bharat Nagaraj (@NagarajBharat) July 14, 2019
Huge Protest and Mass Movement of people against the delay in completing RUB @EASTANANDBAGH MALKAJGIRI, Hyderabad.
— Venkata Kishore Balijepalli (@urstrulyVenkata) July 14, 2019
"Walk For Cause" Team along with support from residents of Anand Bagh &Ml Malkajgiri fight against the apathy of #TRS government
#WalkForCause@CommissionrGHMC pic.twitter.com/emZyb8Sf69
@KTRTRS @TelanganaCMO @PMOIndia @revanth_anumula @kishanreddybjp Huge rally held at Anand Bagh Malkajgiri for early completion of RUB.Started 5 years ago. May take another 2 years to finish. pic.twitter.com/TYtUT5WmzW
— SVS SUBRAHMANYAM (@SVSSUBRAHMANYA2) July 14, 2019
RUB in malkajgiri is pending still since 6 years.. Please look into it sir pic.twitter.com/AMdpz1OJyQ
— Praveen Kumar Malkajgiri (@KumarMalkajgiri) July 14, 2019
“We are suffering a lot now, it used to be a wide road. Close to 2 lakh people live in the area and in the morning, there is a lot of rush heading towards Secunderabad to drop children at school. Now, because of the detour, what was once 4 km has become 8 km,” says Venkata Kishore Balijepalli, a local resident and a volunteer with Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
“The bylanes are horrible. Walking itself is a nightmare. Many accidents have happened as a result of vehicles squeezing into the tiny roads as well. Our only demand is that the RuB be completed as soon as possible,” Kishore adds.
Why the delay?
Speaking to TNM, BT Srinivasan, General Secretary of the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations, says that it was initially an issue of funding and later became an issue of coordination between various government departments.
“Land acquisition was to be done by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and work was to be carried out by the Roads & Buildings department. Work on two ducts that need to be inserted below are to be done by South Central Railway,” he says.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) also needed to shift a major water trunk line passing underneath the road while the Electricity Department needed to shift poles that were on either side of the road.
“After calling for tenders, the plan was modified according to the soil and other factors that need to be taken into consideration during construction. However, this affected the properties of some locals, who were not satisfied with the compensation for land acquisition and so approached the court,” Srinivasan adds.
Sources say that despite several cases reaching settlement, only one or two locals, who have managed to obtain a stay order from the court, are now causing a delay in executing the project.
“Work is not done properly or in a systematic way. They have started the work due to pressure and they have changed the plan many times without issuing proper notices, which is why the matter went to the court,” Kishore alleges.
Repeated calls to TRS MLA Mynampally Hanmanth Rao from the Malkajgiri constituency went unanswered.