Gachibowli traffic woes: Delayed shifting of power lines bottlenecks IIIT Junction

Delayed shifting of high-voltage transmission lines is causing traffic congestion at IIIT Junction in Gachibowli. Commuters report peak-hour delays of up to 30 minutes. CMC says Rs 7 crore has been deposited with TGSPDCL to shift the lines.

Hyderabad: The slow pace of shifting high-voltage transmission lines has added one more bottleneck at the bustling IIIT Hyderabad Junction at Gachibowli, triggering traffic gridlocks and testing the patience of scores of commuters daily.

Transmission lines in the middle of the road have slowed traffic on the extended stretch, frustrating daily commuters. Similar transmission lines can be seen on the three other sides of the Junction. This intersection, which serves as a vital gateway connecting residential hubs to the Financial District, Gachibowli, and HITECH City, witnesses nearly 5 lakh vehicles every day.

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Motorists complain that peak-hour waits at times stretch to 30 minutes, with tailbacks extending down the ISB Road, DLF Road, and Lingampally stretches. Criticising the lack of coordination between civic authorities and electricity department in removing these lines, commuters point out that the bottleneck reduced traffic to a crawl during peak hours, adding more minutes to travel time.

The pillars and road widening work is progressing, but the huge power transmission lines right in the middle of the alignment remain untouched, said P Rajeshwar Rao, a resident of Manikonda who uses the stretch to reach his workplace every day. “This is creating a sudden bottleneck where four lanes squeeze into two, completely paralysing the intersection during IT office log-in and log-out hours,” he added.

Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC) officials said the road-widening works had been completed to facilitate smooth traffic flow, but the delay in shifting transmission lines had continued for several months.

Cyberabad Municipal Corporation Commissioner G Srijana told ‘Telangana Today’ that an amount of Rs 7 crore had been deposited with TGSPDCL to shift transmission lines as flyover work progresses at IIIT Junction in Gachibowli. Stating the matter was being pursued to resolve the issue, officials said shifting the lines would help relieve traffic congestion on the stretch.

Water lines and sewerage lines:

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) is shifting the water and sewerage lines, keeping in view the flyover work at IIIT Junction in Gachibowli. Recently, the water board also attended to water line work at Khajaguda by shutting down the water supply system.

Flyover works at Gachibowli:

*4-lane bi-directional flyover (level-1): From ISB Road to DLF Road

* 3-lane unidirectional flyover (level-2): From DLF Road to Gachibowli Stadium

* 3-lane unidirectional flyover: From ISB Road to Gachibowli (Indira Nagar)

* 6-lane bidirectional underpass: Indira Nagar to Gachibowli Stadium