Defunct signals spark traffic snarls in city

Hyderabad: To go or not to is a dilemma that Arvind Mahapatra faces every day at the Bharkatpura Crossroads as he waits for the traffic signal to turn green but to no avail. Hesitantly, he moves along with others after waiting for a while as the traffic signal has gone kaput for over a month. 

“I fear of being issued a challan and I wait everyday to check if the traffic signal is repaired,” says Arvind. The problem is not just at Bharkatpura but 40 per cent of the signals at 221 junctions are not functional. Madhulika Bohra, a private employee who travels from Mudfort to Begumpet, shares, “The traffic signal at Rasoolpura is defunct for close to two months and motorists are unsure to proceed. It is chaotic.” The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Executive Engineer Srinivasa Chary said that a concrete plan of action was underway, and all the defunct signals would be repaired soon. Further, the maintenance of signaling contract was about to get over by December, but in the meanwhile, a committee was being set up to prepare an action plan, he added.