Hyderabad's Nehru Outer Ring Road is turning into red-zone for vehicles

It would be no surprise for a person driving on the service road to find a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler coming from nowhere and crossing their way. If one is not very careful, he may easily meet with a fatal accident, writes ETV BHharat's Dipankar Choudhury.

Hyderabad:Like every city in the world, Hyderabad has its own charms -- some of them are highly revered and have grown popular across the world, while some others lay in their quaint glory. The Nehru Outer Ring Road (ORR), which might sound like just another infrastructure in the city, is one such prized possession that Hyderabadis are extremely proud of.

Deemed one of the finest constructed and busiest arms of the highways network in India, this ORR is supported with service roads on both sides. The quality of the roads is also high. Unlike the usual ORRs, the service roads have speed breakers that are meticulously planned at every intersection so that all vehicles will have to slow down before each intersection, thereby minimizing the possibility of accidents to practically Zero. With the state government initiatives, industries are being set up on both sides of the ORR making the service roads getting increasingly busy with every passing day.

This has however given rise to many unauthorized intersections made by the locals as the footpath portions have been cut at many places. The road has therefore turned into driveways, which are treated by the locals with no sense of laws and an absolute disdain. So it would be no surprise for a person driving on the service road to find a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler coming from nowhere and crossing their way. If one is not very careful, he may easily meet with a fatal accident.

With the state government taking initiatives to set up industries in and around the Sreesailam Highway and the E-City off exit 14 of ORR, the developments are very prominently visible in these areas. What is also visible are the numerous driveways made by cutting down the footpath, thereby converting the place into a death trap for vehicles that pass through the area.

It can be concluded that whoever is looking after the supervision staff from the local administration is either neglecting their duties or does not know what their duties are at all. The local administration must put a hefty fine on the people who are doing this and reconstruct the footpath with the amount thus collected. It is high time this catches the attention of the powers that be, for a speedy action that shall bring back the original glory to the ORR and its surroundings.