Traffic snarls to end at Tolichowki soon

Tolichowki: The few meters of narrow stretch from Season's Footwear to Ford Motors showroom, below the Tolichowki flyover, remains closed for motorists for the past two weeks and this time the reason being cited is ongoing upgradation of the stretch with laying of CC road and levelling of the uneven road.

Authorities are confident of resolving the matter this time for the sake of motorists and, with levelling of the road, at least two cars can conveniently move on this 'two-lane' road being constructed at an estimated cost of about Rs 20 lakh.

Traffic from different areas beneath the Tolichowki flyover continues to spill over in narrow lanes as the narrow stretch connecting traffic towards Mehdipatnam remains closed for almost a fortnight. One can see not only bikes but also four-wheelers, and even school buses, taking the narrow lane of Nizam Colony towards main road through Al-Hasnath Colony.

The businessmen in the Nizam Colony lane can be seen covering up their faces with kerchiefs to avoid dust kicked off by the vehicular movement in the lane, a portion of which has already damaged due to continuous rains and overflowing nala. "Look at the dust which gets settled in just few hours," says Khan, the owner of a stationery, while rubbing his finger over the lid of a bottle.

Ever since the flyover came into existence a few years ago, the approach roads below it remain narrower, contributing to traffic congestion during rush hours. But the narrowest stretch has always been at Season's Footwear and motorists continue to face inconvenience till they reach Ruby Daram Kanta at the end of flyover on the Mehdipatnam side.

"This stretch has always remained as a challenging task for most of the locals, as it gets narrower at the end of the flyover. We hope that this time the authorities resolve the matter once and for all," said Atif Mohiuddin, a student.

It is believed that the stretch always remains cumbersome for the residents of Tolichowki because of the prolonged works related to the nala, also known as Balkapur nala, coming from Banjara Hills and passing through Nizam Colony. "This is the fourth or fifth time that the road has been closed. These nala works have become a regular phenomenon impacting businesses in the area," lamented Md Mujeeb, a businessman.

Meanwhile, the authorities are optimistic about resolving the matter for the commuters with ongoing road development works taken up with an estimation of Rs 19 lakh. "This one road with a thickness of one foot will not only cover portion of nala, but will also make it even with road for ensuring a smoother two-lane road for motorists. The road will be opened to public shortly," said Mohammed Naseer, Corporator, Nanal Nagar division.