HYDERABAD: VERY soon, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will be the first civic body in the country to insist on a traffic impact assessment report, from builders and developers who approach them for commercial building permissions.
The corporation is currently carrying out a traffic impact assessment study for the city, through M/s LEA Associates South Asia Pvt Ltd. A detailed report on the same will be released by them shortly, based on which new guidelines will be framed.
The GHMC officials told Express that any major construction will be carried out only after considering its effect on the road network around the place of construction. “This is primarily determined by the size of the building.”
Traffic gridlocks are a frequent sight in areas including Hitec City, Madhapur, Jubilee Hills, Gachibowli, Miyapur, Serilingampally and Chandanagar, where large scale commercial developments are taking place.
“As these areas are already crammed with traffic, any new commercial activities in these areas will only lead to more chaos,” the officials said. “So, if the developer is planning to construct a shopping mall or a multiplex in a busy area of the city, first a traffic impact assessment will be conducted,” they added.
“The assessment not only includes general impact relating to transport management (road efficiency and safety), but will also consider specific impacts on all road users, including on-road public transport, pedestrians and heavy vehicles,” the GHMC officials stated.