Bad roads, inundation and power cuts leave people of Hyderabad disillusioned

Continuous rains in Hyderabad have left roads damaged, traffic chaotic, and power supply erratic. Frustrated residents blame civic authorities for poor preparedness, as commuting has become risky and stressful amid inundation and gridlocks.

Hyderabad: The heavy downpour for the past several weeks, with little time in between to recover, has disrupted life and left the general public of Hyderabad frustrated and disillusioned.

For the people of Hyderabad, the monsoons have delivered not a double but a triple whammy, as they deal with collapsing road infrastructure, frequent power cuts and massive pockets of water inundation.

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A simple act of leaving for office has now become a gamble for most of the commuters. Their daily route is either inundated, dug up, riddled with potholes or they risk getting stuck in rush-hour traffic in the midst of a heavy spell of downpour with knee-deep water.

The internal colony roads and even the main roads are totally destroyed, making it a very risky ride for all motorists.There is stagnant or inundated rain water and potholes everywhere.

“This year, the GHMC has failed terribly to anticipate the impact of the monsoons. There should have been a lot of ground work, in terms of preparation, before the monsoons,” says T Prakash, a resident of Sainikpuri.

Apart from the torturous road conditions, people also are fed-up with serpentine traffic jams during rush hours. The probability of getting stuck in the midst of traffic gridlocks with knee deep water has become real, and it has turned into frustration, helplessness and anger.

“I don’t have the option to work from home. Everyday, when I start to work, there is always a worry at the back of my mind about the punishing experience on the return home. The municipal, traffic and water department authorities have failed miserably to address bottlenecks and civic issues that were bound to create problems during the monsoons,” says Indranil Hajra, a resident of Ayyappa Society, Madhapur, who works at an office in Banjara Hills.