HYDERABAD: Citizens and motorists in Hyderabad should brace themselves for inconvenience as the city roads are going to be dug up for laying cables and gas, water and sewerage pipelines. After imposing a blanket ban on road cutting from May to December last year due to the monsoon, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has accorded permission to the agencies concerned to go ahead with the work.
Private agencies, gas utilities as well as government agencies have been approaching the GHMC head office and zonal offices for obtaining road cutting permissions. They have also been contacting Comprehensive Road Maintenance Programme (CRMP) agencies for permissions to conduct the works on stretches under the latter’s limits.
In the last few days, the GHMC has already accorded permissions for road cutting works in 20 km to the TS Transco, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), Airtel Telesonics Networks Limited, Bhagyanagar Gas Limited, Reliance and other agencies. More agencies are likely to approach it over the next few days.
For small-stretch road cuttings (up to 10 m), permissions are being given at the GHMC zonal offices either online or offline by collecting road cutting and restoration charges from the agencies. However, those for over 10 m are being referred to the head office. Permissions are not being given for roads which are under the Defect Liability Period (DLP).
For CRMP roads — which cover seven packages in six zones and have a total of 401 stretches covering 709 km — the agencies have to approach CRMP agencies for road cutting permissions. There are 65 CRMP stretches in LB Nagar (138.77 km); 57 in Charminar (100.42 km); 77 in Khairatabad-I (81.5 km); 46 in Khairatabad-II (90.50 km); 54 in Serilingampally (108.44 km); 30 in Kukatpally (82.12 km) and 72 in Secunderabad (107.73 km).