If there is anything in the city that peeves citizens, it’s bad roads on which they’re forced to commute on. Fed up of complaining, the ‘chalta hai’ attitude and the seeming apathy of civic authorities, netizens have now taken to the internet to try and get the wheels of the municipality moving faster. From posting pictures of damaged roads on microblogging websties regularly to signing petitions addressed to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), it seems like Hyderabadis are leaving no virtual stone unturned in trying to galvanise the municipal authorities.
“Dear GHMC, I am 27 years old. I was born and brought up in Hyderabad, and I have never seen this condition of the roads in my entire life,” reads an anonymous post on the Save Hyd Roads blog on tumblr.com, one of the many microblogging sites being used to get voices heard.
Each picture posted on the blog presents its own nightmare, wherein netizens also post their ticket numbers, after complaining to the GHMC officials. “2013-07-W036270 - Attapur - Road from Pillar 120 to Janapriya - The patchwork done is shoddy and does not even address the actual situation”, wrote another miffed Hyderabadi.
The blog, which was initiated on September 17, only requests users to post pictures of bad roads they drive on in the city.
Another initiative, in the form of a petition on www.change.org, titled ‘Fix the roads please’ addressed to MT Krishna Babu, commissioner, GHMC, has reached 7000 signatures already. The petitioner Jayakrishnan Sureshbabu, also writes on the signature page that all the printed copies of the petitions and signatures will be sent to Krishna Babu. The website also encourages netizens to post copies of their complaints to GHMC and the ticket numbers online.
Similarly, a Facebook page has also been created by administrators of the page ‘The Indian Metamorphosis’, asking people to gather on September 29, from where they plan to meet the GHMC chief and submit the 7000 plus petitions. So far, 283 people have marked that they are ‘going’ for the meet, and with a week left, more numbers of Hyderabadis are expected to join the cause. When contacted, R Dhan Singh, engineer-in-chief, GHMC, said that most of the repair works under the GHMC purview have been completed.
“Whatever is remaining will also be done, and as far we are concerned, we will complete the remaining works soon,” he ensured, and added that all the pending tickets of complaints are also being looked into.