HYDERABAD: Stalemate prevails over the maintenance of the P V Narasimha Rao Elevated Expressway as neither the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) or the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) refusing to take responsibility for it.
The upkeep of the country’s longest flyover, that connects Rajiv Gandhi International Airport with the city at Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, Mehdipatnam, is in shambles as the HMDA is apathetic towards maintaining the expressway and intermediate ramps due to its high maintenance cost, and is instead forcing the GHMC to take over maintenance at the earliest.
The GHMC, however, is not inclined to take over the maintenance of the expressway as the road on which the longest flyover was built belongs to the Roads and Buildings Department. (R&B)
As the standoff continues, the city of Hyderabad is the victim and while passing on the stretch, one can see the accumulation of dirt along the edges of the carriageway.
The PVNR Expressway, which was opened for traffic in October 2009, was built at a cost of around `600 crore.
A few days ago, GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar held a meeting with HMDA officials. In the meeting, senior officials of GHMC brought to his notice that if R&B department hands over the said road to GHMC, the corporation is ready to take over the maintenance responsibility.
The expressway starts at SD Eye Hospital in Mehdipatnam and passes through Rethibowli, Laxmi Nagar, Attapur, Hyderguda, Upperpally, Rajendra Nagar and connects to the National Highway 7 (NH-7) near Aramghar junction.
In view of the stalemate, Commissioner has decided to sort out the issue at the principal secretaries level of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD), R&B department and other concerned departments soon.
The maintenance includes sweeping of the entire 11.5 kms stretch on a daily basis, managing of street lights, pothole fillings and other works.
Officials of the HMDA have said that they had written to to GHMC a few months ago, requesting them to take over the maintenance of the flyover at the earliest, as they are not in position to maintain it. Currently they are incurring ` 8 to 10 lakh per month towards power bills for streetlights.
The HMDA, which constructed the expressway, does not have the required equipment or manpower to have it swept daily and after much persuasion and an intervention from former Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, the civic body has taken up the sanitation responsibility at regular intervals.
Currently HMDA is in a very poor financial condition and have no sources to generate income, unlike GHMC.