Construction of four new subways in the twin cities will be delayed further as the files on the proposal of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation sent to the department of municipal administration and urban development for administrative sanction have been gathering for the last six months.
The general body and standing committee of the GHMC approved the proposal for construction of subways at Afzalgunj bus station, near the Rythu Bazar at Mehdipatnam, near St. George Grammar School at Abids and near Owaisi Hospital at Santoshnagar.
At present, the city has two subways _ one at Koti and the other RTC Crossroads _ which were built in the 1980s but pedestrians stopped using them for several reasons including safety.
Speaking to Express, GHMC officials said that the proposal on the new subways was sent to MAUD in February for administrative sanction. It is learnt that the MAUD appointed a committee of members drawn from various departments to study the proposal. It also sought certain information on the allocation made for the purpose from the 2013-14 budget. The GHMC will float tenders after receiving government’s approval.
As per the pre-feasibility report prepared by STUP Consultants Pvt Ltd, construction of the four subways will cost around `3.94 crore: Afzalgunj (`1.10 cr), Mehdipatnam (`1.25 cr), Abids (`67 lakh) and Santoshnagar (`92 lakh).
The subways will come up on the main Ganesh idol procession routes as well the metro rail corridors. The earlier proposal for construction of foot over-bridges at these places was shelved considering the huge sizes of Ganesh idols and the metro rail. For the subway at Abids, the consultant suggested a structure of 15 metres of 3.0 X 2.75 metres precast RCC Baox and 17 metres of 5.0 cast in situ RCC box to accommodate shops with a staircase of 2.5 metres on either side of the road. The Afzalgunj subway will cater to pedestrian needs as there is a continuous flow of pedestrian crossings on all the three approaches to the junction.
A pedestrian subway adjacent to the Owaisi Hospital across the carriageway with a staircase on either side of the road for entry and exit has been proposed. The subway will be around 44 metres long with a 2.5 metre wide staircase.
As a number of bus shelters exist on either side of the Mehdipatnam road and heavy pedestrian movement causing interruption to vehicular traffic, the consultant proposed a subway at Rythu Bazar in the area. It is estimated that construction will be completed in about eight months.
At present, the subway at RTC Crossroads is closed to the public while book stores have come up in the Koti subway.