HYDERABAD: For the Formula E World Championship race that was held on February 11, the picturesque Necklace Road on the banks of Hussainsagar was spruced up, and with the kind of urgency that has left citizens and motorists in absolute bewilderment.
Many believe that the way the authorities went into overdrive in abundance indicates that improving roads is solely done to impress foreign delegations, and not for the citizens who cope with terrifying experiences every day when driving on city roads.
Locals are flabbergasted that officials, who frequently cite a lack of resources or another excuse for failing to patch potholes and smooth out the horribly uneven and bumpy roads, have overnight spruced up the 2.8-km race track that ran adjacent to the Secretariat, Mint Compound, NTR Park, and the Prasad’s Imax.
“This demonstrates unequivocally that local residents are treated like second-class citizens while international delegates are given first attention. This is blatant apathy,” Sravan Kumar, a techie stated.
People were upset with the government’s “step-motherly” treatment since certain city roads were painted with a “velvety smooth finish”, while others had unkempt patches of asphalt that gave drivers a jolt and a hammering on the back, especially for bikers.
Numerous roads in several areas, including the Bahadurpura Road, Shivrampally, Monda Market Road, Tadbund, and Balamrai to Patny, are in poor condition, but the government has so far been unable to fix them. “We have made numerous representations to the authorities but there has been no improvement in the road conditions from Bahadurpura to the Aram Ghar for the past few months,” rued Pawan Mishra, a resident of Shastripuram.
“A part of the city has the best roads, whilst another is completely unmaintained and in pathetic condition. I travel on the Tadbund road for work, and the bumpy road gives a bad backache as if someone is hitting me on my back,” said Vinod Daniel. “People who travel on some of the city’s most neglected roads come home with dust all over them,” said Lakshmi Kanthi Pandey, a resident of Shivrampally.
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