Alternative roads for East West Corridor-Comprehensive solution with total plan copy

• Sub: Comprehensive Solutions for the problems faced by residents of Yapral, Balaji Nagar, Kowkoor, Bolarum, Alwal and Sainik Puri, Neredmet Areas due to the illegal, arbitrary and willful closure of public roads being used by citizens for over a century by Local Military Authorities (LMA) – Request to highlight to Hon'ble Raksha Mantri during his proposed visit to Hyderabad – Regarding..

• Ref: GO 288 of 2008 on April 3rd 2008.

1. The residents of the above areas are facing untold hardship because of the illegal and arbitrary closure and restrictions on almost 15 roads in the Golf Course area, EME Centre and AOC Circle areas by the Local Military Authorities (LMA) which was having right of way from past 100 plus years and suddenly inaccessible to citizens of the East and West Corridors of the SCB .

2. Access from the areas to the East Corridor of the cantonment has been ripped apart to important destinations on the other side of the cantonment, such as Lakdawala Bus Stop ( opp to Ayyappa Temple) on gateway to Telangana and Karimnagar-Rajiv Rahadari (which is the nearest point from where direct buses and public transport is available to destinations all over the city), schools and institutions such as St Anns, Loyola Academy, Govt. Hospital-Alwal, which is the Primary Health Centre for Yapral, Balaji Nagar etc., GHMC Circle Office Alwal and RTA Office Medchal and Trimulgherry, which have jurisdiction over these areas, etc.

3. Commuting to the main city and to places of work in Begumpet, Hi-Tech City and Gachi Bowli now takes much longer due to this detour of 8 kms from present 800 meters and costs much more for common man due to fuel cost for such longer routes. The distance from Yapral to Lakdawala, for instance, has gone up from under a kilometer when the roads were open, to almost 8 kilometers now.

4. Likewise, the residents of the areas to the West Corridor of the cantonment such as Bolarum, Alwal, etc., face great difficulty in reaching Valerian Grammar School, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, Indus Worlds School, BSNL Telephone exchange and the commercial areas of A S Rao Nagar and ECIL, and their work places in the industrial areas such as Cherlapally, ECIL, Moula Ali, Nacharam, etc.

5. Access to and from the main twin cities is also affected because of the closure / restriction of all East-West connectivity corridors between Rajiv Rahadari and Tarnaka-Keesara Road except for a single corridor – All Saints Road from Trimulgherry to ECIL, while earlier, there were 6 East-West corridors available are closed now. The cascading effect of this is nothing but this causes ripple effect with frequent heavy traffic jams at junctions such as Trimulgherry, Lothkunta and Neredmet, even at late hours. Traffic police department would be able to substantiate our claim.

6. Fuel bills, commuting times, pollution and traffic accidents have all increased. Development of the entire Northeastern part of the city is severely affected. Economic cost would be heavy in the long run. Citizen’s unrest due to such decisions and stressful travel will cost health of the state citizens. The relationship with army will hit badly due to such unfriendly and unpopular decisions.

7. The closure and restrictions on these public roads is illegal and arbitrary, since they were carried out by LMA and not by Cantonment Board, and without following the procedure specified in Section 258 of the Cantonments Act 2006. The continue closure of these roads is also in direct contravention of the directions in Ministry of Defence (MOD) letter No 4(2)/2015-D(Q&C) dated 07.01.2015 to the 3 Service Chiefs and the DGDE to immediately reopen roads which were closed without following the procedure stipulated in Cantonments Act 2006.

8. It may be noted that the MOD letter of 07.01.2015 was issued 3 months after the Hyderabad High Court Orders of 26.09.2014, and with full knowledge of the High Court Orders since MOD was a party in all the cases decided by the HC. The MOD letter therefore supersedes the HC Orders. In any case the number of roads closed / restricted by LMA has gone much beyond the 9 roads listed in the Hyderabad HC judgment. The present count of closed roads exceeds 15, and more roads are being closed / restricted by LMA as time goes on.

9. All these roads are public roads, which existed even a century ago. As evidence, we enclose a Survey of India Military Map dating from 1923, which shows all these roads as Main Roads even then. In this Map we have marked both roads listed in the Hyderabad HC Orders, and also other roads closed by LMA. It is also clear by a glance at this map that these roads are all thoroughfares which pass through the cantonment and connect civilian area to each other. Public have Right of Way on these roads through long and uninterrupted usage.

10. Further, both Hyderabad HC orders by Justice Naveen Rao, and the MOD letter of 07.01.2015, stipulate that in case of roads are to be closed, alternate roads must be provided to civilians. There have been news reports that GHMC has been conducting a survey along with LMA in the AOC Centre area only, but no such survey has been carried out in the Golf Course area in Yapral/Bolarum. Here you may be noted that 4 of the 9 roads listed in the Hyderabad HC orders are in the Golf Course area. Understandably, LMA is reluctant to allow even survey due to their lapses by closing without properly following the sec 258 of the said act.

11. Keeping with the above background in mind, our OSCAR community suggests the following comprehensive solution to reduce the impact of such large scale roads closing in these areas:

(a) In order to comply with the Hyderabad HC orders by Justice Naveen Rao ( which also says that LMA must provide alternative to all), alternate roads must be provided in the Golf Course area too along with other roads to be closed in the future, but only after following the SOP,

(b) Since any alternate roads in this area would have to cross the BEPTA Golf Course, an elevated and enclosed (to take care of LMA's security concerns) set of flyovers ( in the same terms of SRDP) may be constructed at cost of LMA and not at cost of GHMC since these roads are closed by LMA and not by the state. A map showing suggested alignment of these flyovers is enclosed for ready reference, subject to modifications and improvements by the GHMC and LMA in consultation with the users.

(c) Even for this arrangements, before final plans are drawn up for alternate roads, the public hearings may be held and it may be ensured that the affected public is satisfied with these alignments, etc., of these roads.

(d) In case it is decided to construct alternate roads, the Defence Ministry may bear all costs, since it is LMA which has closed and restricted public roads, and since its letter addressed to the 3 Service Chiefs and to the DGDE directs that in case it becomes inevitable to close a road alternate roads must be first provided

(e) Meanwhile, while decisions on alternate roads are arrived at, all closed and restricted roads may be immediately reopened in line with the MOD letter of 07.01.2015, so that public is not inconveniences.

(f) Any better solution is suggested by LMA to avoid public inconveniences must also must be incorporated , by keeping in mind the security concerns.

2nd best alternative:

In the event of not agreeing to this proposal by LMA, our defense Argument should be Considering the traffic need & public interest Municipal Administration & Urban Development Department - HUDA- carried out extensive modification to the master plan of HUDA area (excluding the erstwhile MCH area and the newly extended area of HUDA) and proposed to widen the subject public thoroughfare to 100 feet and accordingly prepared a plan which was approved by GO 288 of 2008 on April 3rd 2008. Since the road is passing through the golf course (125 years old), which is not under occupation of defence services or otherwise earmarked for defence services, MA&UD can formally issue notice to LMA to handover this thoroughfare to state in the interest of the public under the provision of Article 19 and item 13 of state list (list II) of our Constitution.

We request the our Govt. of Telangana to kindly bring the above facts to the kind attention of Honorable Raksha Mantri ji during his ensuing visit to Hyderabad on this ticklish/thorny issue and to stress to him that the Govt. of Telangana will extend all the needy support to overcome the limitations to take all necessary steps to ensure that the inconvenience faced by citizens is ended forthwith.

OSCAR community, as a matter fact, is not against closing of these roads due to security reasons, and that too after duly following the Sec 258 of the Cantonment act 2006 but also will support state and LMA with proper solution to the issue to stay positive to avoid any further damage caused by LMA due to arbitral closing of 15 roads.