HYDERABAD: A newly proposed link road connecting GHMC Zonal Office in Lingampally and Nallagandla main road has raised concerns amongst locals over loss of biodiversity around the lake and arising traffic bottlenecks. Citizens allege that the new road will lie within the lake’s full tank limit (FTL) boundary and over a hundred trees would be felled to facilitate the road’s construction.
The proposed road is said to be 36 metres wide and will reduce the commute to Nallagandla from the University of Hyderabad by nearly 2.5 km.“Even though we will be impacted by the construction, we don’t have any information about the areas that will be taken for the project. Our major concern is the impact of this project on the lake and its surrounding biodiversity and on our gated community,” added Madhuvanti Kale, a resident of Aparna CyberZon.
In a representation that they have given to officials, they state that the road will cause major harm to the biodiversity and will also impact the lives of residents living around the road as the said road will mostly shrink from a width of 120 feet to 40 feet owing to lack of space at the Nallagandla end of the slip road, leading to bottlenecks and traffic snarls.
“There is not enough space between the lake and Aparna CyberZon for a retaining wall to be built or a 36-metre wide road to be laid. We are also fearing that they would take land from our community and the children’s playing area,” she added. Meanwhile, officials from HRDCL said that they are merely following
the Road Development Plan given to them by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. “The road will not affect the buffer of the lake. As for the trees, we will be following all due protocols involved in the making of the road,” said an official concerned with the project on condition of anonymity.
It is further learnt that since the marking of FTL is still a work in progress, the actual impact of the construction will not be known. The residents now demand that all information regarding this project be made public and authorities consider reducing the width of the road to 40 feet to minimize damage to the area.
KTR reacts, asks GHMC to keep park intact
As the issue about the likely loss of the park area of the Aparna CyberZon gated community raged, MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao responded on Twitter asking GHMC to plan the road without hampering the park. His tweet read, "Request Commissioner GHMC to ensure that the park is kept intact & realign the road."
However, citizen groups in the area continue to raise the issue of the alleged encorachment on the FTL of the lake, for the road work