Flyovers, road widening works and underpasses across various locations in the city eagerly await funding from GHMC under the much publicised flagship programme of the Telangana government, the Strategic Road Development Plan (SRDP) for signal-free traffic.
The Rs 100 crores raised by GHMC through third instance of municipal bond issue may not suffice the gargantuan task ahead, as the property acquisition for the ongoing works alone could run into hundreds of crores of rupees.
Works are in progress at least in eight locations, and inconvenience caused to the public by the ongoing operations is bound to continue till the structures are in place.
Some stalled, some over
As of now, the works have been grounded at L.B. Nagar, Madhapur, Jubilee Hills, Durgam Cheruvu, Shaikpet, Kothaguda, Owaisi Hospital junction and Bahadurpura. At a few locations such as Durgam Cheruvu and Madhapur, the works are fast reaching completion stage.
These are apart from seven structures completed under the project in Madhapur and L.B. Nagar, including four flyovers and three underpasses.
The estimated cost of the ongoing structures alone stands at over Rs 2,100 crores, and the expenditure incurred up to July-end stands at over Rs 800 crores. Of the estimated cost for the ongoing works, about Rs 700 to Rs 800 crores pertain to the expenditure to be incurred on property acquisition. Already, cheques worth Rs 125 crores have been prepared and awaiting distribution to the property owners, informed officials.
A senior official said that even if part of the acquisition is done through issue of transferable development rights, it will still needs Rs 500-600 crores for acquiring properties alone at the ongoing project locations. Without distribution of cheques, one cannot take hold of the property or demolish it. They are waiting for availability of funds to go ahead with distribution.
Besides, payments to the contractors worth Rs 40-60 crores are pending with GHMC, owing to which works have been stalled at multiple locations, officials said, adding that the works need to be prioritised within the Rs 100 crores raised through bond issue.
Other than these, there are also works proposed but stalled owing to lack of environmental sanctions, and works at tender stage, and for which administrative sanctions have been given, besides works for which detailed project reports are under way.
Construction proposed
Under SRDP, the corporation is proposing construction of a series of flyovers, underpasses, elevated corridors and skyways, besides developing major expressways with an expenditure of Rs 25,000 crores.
On the cards are 54 grade separators including flyovers and underpasses, elevated corridors and skyways of 111 km, and improvement of 166 km of major corridors and 350 kms of main roads. Of these, works worth Rs 3,200 crores have been launched.
Source: The Hindu
