HYDERABAD: Already battling the closure of roads in the area, over 4 lakh residents of Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) now have to suffer through backbreaking rides on pothole-ridden roads of the area that have deteriorated following heavy rains. The condition of SCB interline roads in areas like Tirumalgerry, Lal Bazar, Military Dairy Farm and Bowenpally is so bad that commuting has become a harrowing experience.
Many of them are taking longer routes to their destination to avoid the bad stretches. C Kiran Kumar, a resident of Trimulgherry, said roads have not been re-carpeted in several colonies of SCB in the last four years.
He slammed the authorities for the current condition saying, “Authorities haven’t even constituted disaster teams to take up road repair in the area. We have given so many representations to officials but there has been no response from the SCB,” he said. S Chandrasekhar, spokesperson of Open Secunderabad Cantonment All Roads (OSCAR) said the closure of roads by the Local Military Authority (LMA) despite the orders from Ministry of Defence has only added to the woes of the residents.
“The Chief Executive Officer and elected members are mute spectators as citizens suffer,” said Chandrasekhar, who also rued about the frequency of meetings in the Secunderabad Cantonment Board. “In the last 14 months since the VP took charge, the SCB Board meeting has been convened only thrice. How will civic issues be resolved if this is the attitude of the board?” he asked.
When contacted, Ramswroop Haritwal the Joint Chief Executive Officer of SCB, said that they have prepared an action plan for repair of the damaged roads in the area. “We have given instructions to all engineers to identify the damage and submit the reports. Once we get this report and we will call for tenders,” he said.
No red carpet here
It is reported that SCB has not re-carpeted roads in several colonies in the last four years. This has become a thorn in the side for the 4 lakh population living in the Cantonment.