HYDERABAD: Basing on the high volume of traffic flow, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has identified over 20 junctions in Hyderabad as high pressure corridors. Instructions have been given to officials to prepare a comprehensive report detailing on how to tackle the increasing traffic in the city.
In a marathon five-hour long meeting with senior officials of the R&B department and GHMC here on Friday, he asked them to come up with suggestions in identifying places for construction of bridges, multi-level flyovers, widening of roads, among others, to deal with the increasing vehicular traffic in the city.
He also emphasised on the need to assess the increasing traffic in Warangal, the second biggest city in the State, by planning two to three multi-level flyovers. “If the traffic situation is left unadressed, future generations will suffer. Plans have to be chalked out keeping in view of needs of next 20 years,” he told the officials. With growing environmental imbalance due to increase in vehicular traffic, Rao said there was a need to develop parks besides safeguarding forest land in the city. A total of 1.60 lakh acres of forest cover is under the city limits. “Unlike other cities, Hyderabad has the advantage in terms of more lung space. This has to be harnessed.”
He lamented that huge tracts of lands belonging to parks and reserve forests in Hyderabad are being encroached by land sharks. Even many attempts were made to encroach Botanical Garden’s land but locals had put up a brave fight to prevent it from being usurped, he added. “Citizens Committee should be formed with locals to ensure that every inch of park land is protected,” he said.
To curb illegal constructions and encroachments, he said, “For every new construction, government permission will be made mandatory in addition to GHMC permission. Guidelines have to drafted for the same.”