GHMC inaction gives jitters to civilians

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is yet to submit a detailed proposal on the alternative roads to be developed in the periphery of Army Ordinance Corps (AOC) Centre, even as 13.5 lakh citizens living in and around Secunderabad Cantonment are on the tenterhooks with the May 31 deadline for closure of army roads is fast approaching.

In a letter to the State government dated January 22, 2016, the Army officials requested that the civic authorities should look into the issue and made it clear that the Gough Road could not be kept open beyond May 31, 2016.With no active work on the ground, save for a joint survey from Safilguda station to Entranchment Road via Mahendra Hills (2.86 km) on the periphery of AOC on December 10, 2015 and a follow up in February, GHMC still does not have a plan in place.

Aswani Kumar, Superintending Engineer, GHMC, said that a proposal on the survey was sent to the Defence Estates, but permission for the 1.7 km stretch survey is still pending. When asked if the State government sent a proposal seeking permission for the survey of roads in Secunderabad Cantonment, M G Gopal, Special Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration & Urban Development (MAUD), said, “The government is working on the cost implications and other aspects. Once these issues are sorted out, we will be sending a proposal to the MoD.”

The Army is willing to assist the State government in working out an alternative road plan, but they feel the GHMC was not yet ready to work on the issue and come up with a detailed proposal. As per the initial agreement, a 100 feet road from Safilguda Gate to Allahabad Gate has been agreed upon. Brigadier A S Negi, the President of Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) in the recently held SCB board meeting said the Army was willing to assist in the construction of a 100-feet road from Safilguda to Allahabad Gate and he advised the GHMC to come up with a plan of action at the earliest.

While GHMC has permission for only 2.86 km stretch from Safilguda Gate to Allahabad Gate (100 feet road), the civic body wants to conduct a survey from Ramakrishnapuram Bridge to Safilguda Gate (1.7 km, 60 feet road), for which it needs to get a permission directly from the Ministry of Defense (MoD). The Local Military Authority (LMA) officials informed that they did not receive any directions from MoD as far as the survey on the 1.7 km stretch is concerned.

“Unless the State government gets the permission for the survey between Ramakrishnapuram Bridge and Safilguda Gate and show some work at the ground level, the MoD would not extend the date for road closure,” said A Ravi, a member of United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (U-FERWAS).

Besides these preliminary issues, there are several other problems that GHMC will have to take care during the construction of these alternative roads. The LMA requested military authorities to include an FOB at Hanuman Mandir, 10 feet high boundary wall with barbed wire fencing, viaduct near Mahendra Hills, street lighting, three guard posts with watch tower along the road, ROB for railway crossing; CD works for drainage and bore wells in the proposal. The road cutting along the hilly area, land transfer issues, permissions from Railway authorities are other problems that will have impact on cost implications.

Unless the GHMC does not start ground level work at the earliest, it is highly unlikely that the alternative road plan will still remain on paper. The government of Telangana was requested to address MoD to provide 37.5 acre to GHMC to construct alternative roads. Residents of the nearby areas are hopeful that the MA&UD Minister K T Rama Rao will push the case and get permission for conducting a survey to connect Ramakrishnapuram flyover to Safilguda Gate.