Hyderabad: Projects in Hyderabad’s Old City continue to face prolonged delays. A case in point is the construction of the Uddamgadda (Shastripuram) road underbridge, work on which began in 2021 but remains incomplete even after nearly five years.
The Uddamgadda overpass (over the railway crossing) is undertaken jointly by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the Railways.
Its construction began in 2021, aiming to provide a hassle-free avenue for people to bypass the Uddamgadda railway gate. Traffic from Bibi ka Chashma, Falaknuma, Vattepally, Shastripuram, Teegalkunta, Nawabsahab Kunta (bound for Shamshabad), Katedan and Aramgarh use the road.
Due to the high traffic flow on the Mailardevpally–Vattepally road, the road under bridge (RuB) was mooted, and the proposal was cleared by GHMC in 2017 at an estimated cost of Rs 71 crore. The works were inaugurated three years later, in 2021, with a completion deadline of 18 months.
“Frequent visits by the local public representatives have not helped in speeding up the project. People are facing problems as they have to take a long detour to reach Bandlaguda,” complained Mohsin Pasha from Vattepally.
To reach Bandlaguda road, motorists take a detour of three kilometres via NPA Shivarampally or Falaknuma –Chandrayangutta. “We are literally burning a hole in our pockets,” complained another resident, Mubashhir Khan.
The issue of inordinate delay was echoed in the 2024 Winter Session of the Lok Sabha by AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi. “In my constituency, the Falaknuma RuB and the Shastripuram RuB will break the Guinness Book of (World) Records. For four years, it has been pending. In Shastripuram RuB construction, 10-15 people have lost their lives,” he had then stated.
The Falaknuma bridge works were completed, and the bridge was inaugurated a few months ago. Unfortunately, the Uddamgadda bridge works lag and pose problems for the residents.
