Once one of the most beautiful cities, today Hyderabad has been distorted beyond recognition

By Sudhansu R Das
Hyderabad was once one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Thousands of lakes, springs, meadows, hills, forest, rivers, natural rock forest, grapevines, mango orchards and a pleasant climate made Hyderabad far more beautiful than many of the Western and European cities. The Deccan Plateau was a paradise on earth. Today the city has been distorted beyond recognition. The political class, educated residents, media, youth, judiciary and nature lovers should join hands to restore the original beauty of Hyderabad. Here are a few simple ways to restore the original grace of Hyderabad.
Way back in 2018, the National Highway connecting Suchitra Circle to Medchal was one of the most beautiful roads in the country. More than 100 years old native trees formed a canopy over the roads on both sides; it was a pleasant experience to drive on this road. The road had become a tourist attraction. The service roads on both sides of the National Highway were reducing traffic pressure on the main highway. Within six years from 2018, 90% of the old native trees were wiped out due to road widening, construction of flyovers and drainage systems etc. Scores of arterial roads were made to connect the NH to boost realty sectors. Those badly made roads need repair every year. One road goes through Kompally, Dhulapally, Bahadurpally, Pragati Nagar and Kukatpally is being repeatedly repaired. But the road peels out after a rainy season; the potholes appear in every 10 feet distance and the badly made humps look dangerous. The road between Dhulapally and Bahadurpally have deep potholes and broken patches. Here the traffic density is more and the vehicles move fast through bad narrow roads. Manholes made on many of the roads in Kompally and Gundlapochampally area are not properly leveled; the motorists while negotiating the manholes face accidents. From time to time the authority puts mud and broken bricks into the potholes which are washed away after a rain. This is the situation in most parts of the cities.
Hundreds of people face fatal accidents daily in Hyderabad while negotiating potholes, irregular road edges and badly made humps etc. Two wheeler drivers are the worst sufferers; it is not the absence of a helmet which causes injury but the bad condition of the roads which causes maximum accidents in the city. People spend their hard earned money to treat road injuries and vehicles.
Good roads save life, time and money for the general public who silently work hard to build the economy of the state. The state government should give road contracts to professional contractors and check the quality before releasing the payments to contractors. Satellite images and drones should be utilized to ensure the quality of roads in Hyderabad. The road transport officials should visit Bhubaneswar, Sikkim and small cities in North East India to see how beautifully the roads are made in those small states.
In Bhubaneswar there are pedestrian paths on both sides of the roads; the roadside shops are put five feet away from the footpaths. There is a tree lair forming a canopy over the roads. Minimum 50 % of the roads in Hyderabad should have pedestrian paths and foot over bridges or underground passways for the pedestrians. Sign boards should be written in Telugu, English and Hindi language to boost tourism. There is no need for metro rail where the local trains and bus connectivity are good. Metro rail will cannibalise the existing transportation system. The existing local train network can introduce fast trains with Ac coaches which will save the huge expenditure towards the metro project.
The temperature in Hyderabad is rising beyond human tolerance due to phenomenal growth of concrete jungles and depletion of open space, water bodies and native tree lair. Rising temperatures can bring economic disaster to the city. It will chase away investment, home buyers and increase the cost of living in the city. Rising temperature will reduce working hours of people and compel schools to increase summer vacation. It will cause brain strokes and other diseases.
When there were thousands of lakes in the city there was no point to channel Godavari water into the city from a far off place and with huge public expenditure. Had the government protected the water bodies, it would have met the water needs of the Hyderabadis for several hundred years. It is impossible to repair the Musi river without massive expenditure which will deplete the state revenue. As a first step the government should create awareness among people not to encroach the river bed and dump garbage in the river. Politicians cutting across the party line should create public awareness about the importance of the Musi river for a minimum five years. It is time to save Musi as a mass movement; let people repair the river.
Though HYDRA (Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency) has demolished many buildings on lake beds, there are many other lakes which have either disappeared or face encroachment due to construction activities. Sri A V Ranganath, the HYDRAA Commissioner has reportedly said that many issues surrounding encroachment would be resolved once the Full Tank Level (FTL) survey of water bodies within the city and the Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits is completed. Measures will also be taken to prevent future encroachments of lakes. He said, "The FTL survey would be completed within four to five months.”
The rulers from the Mourya, the Satavahana, the Ikshvaku, the Kakatiya, the Shahi and the Nizam dynasties had built thousands of lakes to save life, economy and culture of people in the Deccan Plateau. HYDRA should work relentlessly for the next ten years to save lakes, open space, native trees and agricultural land around Hyderabad. It should get the support from politicians, judiciary and the residents of Hyderabad in this noble venture. The community capital in and around the city should be preserved for the use of the next generation. Growth, development, economic progress and advancement has no meaning if the general public suffer endlessly due to bad roads, rise of temperature and due to the depletion of open space and water bodies.

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