HYDERABAD: After receiving multiple complaints from several resident’s associations and officials from the Secunderabad Cantonment Board over the ‘illegal’ road closures done by Local Military Authorities (LMA), MAUD Minister KT Rama Rao wrote to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday appealing for immediately reopening of public roads in the area.
The arbitrary road closure in the Secunderabad Cantonment has been a long-pending issue that has irked the residents. Addressing these issues, Rama Rao wrote that he was compelled to inform the Ministry about the plight of many citizens living in the north and north-eastern parts of Hyderabad who faced frequent road blockades by the local military authorities.
Referring to these — almost 25 closed roads - as the ‘lifeline roads’ of the Cantonment area, the Minister added that these unauthorised roadblocks were causing immense hardships and misery to the residents. “These roads were admittedly open to the public since their inception. However, the closure of these roads would cut off north-eastern areas of the city from this artery, which is their main access to the rest of the city. Over 10 lakh citizens are affected daily,” Rao pointed out.
The letter also highlighted the plight of the people during the ongoing pandemic. “Citing a surge in Covid-19 cases in the city, the LMA, without following the SOP, had shut down four important roads — Allahabad Gate, Gough Road, Wellington Road and Ordinance Road for 10 days in July. Residents had been forced to take long detours at a time when public transport was not available. One can also imagine the tremendous tragedies that can occur during medical emergencies if such road blockades are allowed. The irony is that such a block is initiated unilaterally without following the established procedure and disregarding the public interest,” said KTR.
Rama Rao also appealed to Rajnath Singh to intervene and instruct the LMA not to indulge in such closures of roads without following the SOP or having necessary authorisation from authorities concerned.