WARANGAL/MAHABUBNAGAR/NIZAMABAD: Driving along National Highway 163 is backbreaking, barring the 50 km four-lane stretch between Ghatkeshwar and Raigiri. The road, which is overall in a bad shape, is riddled with potholes at several stretches.
Ironically, it’s one of the main stretch that connects seven Assembly constituencies -- Station Ghanpur, Wardhannapet, Parkal, Huzurabad, Husnabad, Aler, and Bhupalpally. The ongoing works to convert NH-163 into a four-lane highway has added to woes of commuters. It has drastically cut down space. “Many times, Warangal patients diagnosed with serious health conditions are referred to Hyderabad. Earlier, it used to take me 1.5 hours to reach Hyderabad. But now, it takes about 2.5 hours,” says ambulance driver U Dayakar. “The delay can be fatal for some patients.”
The highway leaves a trail of blood in Mahbubnagar
National Highway-44 connecting the two major Information Technology hubs of India, Hyderabad and Bengaluru leaves a trail of death, injuries and destruction as it passes through the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district.
In a recent gory road accident on February 24 in Wanaparthy, 9 people died on the NH44. According to official sources, road accidents cause the death of around 300 people every year and around 2,000 people get injured in the erstwhile district, many of which occur on the NH 44.
NH-44 receives short shrift in Telangana
NH-44 is spread over a total of 310 km in Telangana between Hyderabad and Adilabad. Of the 310 kms, 150 km passes through erstwhile Nizamabad district. It is used by all persons who travel between Hyderabad and Nizamabad.
However, the condition of NH44 road is pathetic in many stretches and the ongoing monsoon rains have battered the road more. —Inputs from Anil Kumar, K Amruth Rao, MVK Sastry
Major road accidents at NH-44
January 28, 2015: Seven people were killed near Addakul Mandal Komareddiipally
June 14, 2015: Five people were killed in a car accident near Farookhanagar Mandal Chattapalli
February 7, 2016: Seven people were killed in a road accident near Balanagar
March 26, 2016: Eight people were killed in a road accident near Bhoothpur
November 12, 2017: Four laborers of Bandamidpillai were killed in Jadcherla