Open manholes on Hyderabad roads endanger commuters, civic apathy blamed

Open and broken manholes are posing a serious danger to Hyderabad’s commuters, with inadequate warning signs and civic inaction compounding the risks. The hazard worsens during rains, as waterlogging makes these open pits invisible to motorists and pedestrians alike.

Hyderabad: It’s not just erratic driving habits, speeding vehicles, bad road engineering and lack of traffic personnel to ensure safety of commuters and pedestrians that are a cause of worry for those out on Hyderabad streets. Now, broken and open manholes on different city roads too have joined the list.

Whether it is the ever busy JNTU road stretch, or the much celebrated Hitec City sections at Madhapur or even the Bandari Layout, badly managed manholes make both motorists and pedestrians more prone for serious accidents.

---

Ironically, the civic authorities remain apathetic to the woes of road users. At some places, broken manhole covers or those undergoing repairs have a few branches stuck to warn the speeding motorists. At some places, pieces of rocks or broken traffic cones are placed. And then there are some spots where not even these are seen.

These badly managed spots do not even have proper cautionary barricading or bright warning that is visible from a distance. Motorists usually end up spotting the bad crack in the road at the last minute and end up struggling to avoid it while risking being hit by speeding vehicles behind. Some motorists fail to control the vehicle at the last minute and end up riding through it – a rather risky proposition.

And when it rains, the rain water inundating road stretches, hide these manholes, turning them more dangerous and hard to navigate.