HYDERABAD: As monsoon hit the State on Friday and the weather turned pleasant, traversing the city roads also turned into a challenge.
Many roads were left in gridlock for as long as four hours while the Metro services also choked with unmanageable crowds at several stations. Meanwhile, citizens were left wondering if the city was really prepared for the rains it waited for so long.
At the Raheja Mindspace which saw rainfall of nearly 70-80 mm, the huge number of vehicles, poor drainage and insufficient infrastructure of the Rs 108-crore worth SRDP left traffic in gridlock.
Techies stuck in traffic block were furious over the government’s job at the Mindspace rotary and underpass. “I was stuck in traffic for two hours and not an inch of it moved. Is this what we will get every time it rains for the next few months,” Sai Teja, a techie, exclaimed.
Meanwhile, several arterial roads across the city turned into streams while the water flow made it extremely difficult for traffic to pass through.
As the situation turned into a crisis on the roads, many sought refuge in the Metro. Even Tollywood actor Nithin was spotted in the Metro.
However, by late evening, even the tall Metro pillars gave in to the huge crowds. At Hitec City and Durgam Cheruvu, starting 6.30 pm, extra trains and resources had to be mobilised to manage the ‘unmanageable crowds’, said NVS Reddy, Managing Director of Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL). “L&T HMRL has mobilised extra resources and additional trains are being run from Hitec City. Crowds, which were literally unmanageable at one stage at both stations, are now slowly thinning,” Reddy said.
Official data show that with 83.3 mm, Madhapur received the highest amount of rainfall in the State on Friday.