Battered roads, pot holes to welcome Metropolis delegates

Hyderabad: The ambitious plans of Telangana government to showcase Hyderabad as an ideal international destination for trade and commerce during the forthcoming 11th Metropolis World Conference (MWC) suffered a setback with the Roads and Buildings Department refusing to take up road repair works. Strangely, the R&B Department says that sprucing up the city roads ahead of the MWC event is a 'waste of public money'.

In the past, the department carried out similar works on a massive scale at a cost of Rs 22 crore as part of arrangements for the prestigious international event COP-11 which was held in the city in 2011.

As part of the arrangements for COP-11, the department had spruced up all important roads consisting of around 40 km long stretch with international standards.

However, the department has now decided not take up the sprucing up works and confine themselves to execute minor works on routes where Metro Rail construction works are currently underway with the help of financial support from Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities.

There are reports that funds crunch could have forced the department to back out. Earlier, the department had proposed to spruce up its important stretches like NFCL Junction to Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, HICC Madhapur to NFCL junction, Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital to ORR Gachibowli junction, NFCL junction to Sangeeth junction and Gachibowli junction to Kothwalguda junction via Kondapur as part of the arrangements for the Metro Polis.

Telangana State Engineer in Chief P Ravinder Rao said that the decision was taken to avoid wastage of public money. He also refuted reports that there was funds crunch.

'We feel that there is no need to take up works for the ensuing Metro Polis conference like how we did for the COP-11. One of the reasons for our reluctance is that the roads, which were developed for COP-11, are in good condition and we think that there is no need to waste public money again.

We have decided to execute minor works like pothole fillings, re-carpeting on routes where the Metro Rail tracks are being constructed,' the Engineer in Chief said. The road where the metro rail works are currently on include Ameerpet junction to Charminar covering important areas like Nampally, MJ Market and Afzal Gunj.

Rao said that they had already sought release of funds from Metro Rail authorities to take up the works and added that the funds were expected to be released in the next one or two days.

Meanwhile, the GHMC also appears to be reluctant to spend huge amount of money towards beautification of the city by citing the same reason. Despite the claims of the GHMC Mayor Mohd Majid Hussain that the corporation would spend close to Rs 150 crore towards the arrangements for Metro Polis World Congress, the engineering wing called for tenders for works worth only Rs 10 crore so far to carry out road markings and road repair works.

The urban bio-diversity wing has called for tenders to execute works worth Rs 5 crore to carry land scrapping and erection of new fountains and beautification of central medians and roadside views.

GHMC had identified 22 major roads for beautification of the city for the Metro Polis Conference with an outlay of about Rs 150 crore. It has also decided to extend the clean city project from the proposed 10 km to 230 km as part of the arrangements for the international conference.

Mayor Majid Hussain held a review meeting of the corporation held a review meeting with the GHMC officials on August 11, 2014, almost a month ahead of the conference and directed them to leave no stone unturned in making the arrangements.

He asked the officials to spruce up the footpaths and pavements, mark the roads with zebra and pelican crossing marks and beautification of parks. However, the officials appear to have forgotten he mayor's directions.

A senior official of GHMC engineering wing said that beautification works related to Metro Polis World Congress had already commenced in all the identified stretches. He said that they were currently executing re-carpeting of road and patching work and added that the road marking works would be taken up a week before the Metro Polis Conference.

Another official of the Urban Biodiversity Wing (UBW) said that they were not taking up any park renovation works for the Metro Polis. He said that they had decided to take up works like beautification of central medians, roadside views as part of landscaping, renovation of cement pots, erection of new fountains and repairs of existing fountains for the upcoming conference besides taking up the beautification works of the main venue of the event.