Hyderabad's IT hub to be on fast lane soon

                                                                
HYDERABAD: Residents of Industrial Area Local Authority (IALA) in Madhapur, Gachibowli and surrounding places will have a smooth ride soon with the AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC), Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Roads and Buildings (R&B) deciding to develop nine major roads.

Gachibowli (Old Bombay highway) to Meenakshi Tech park, Madhapur main road to Inorbit Mall near Durgamchervu, Madhapur (near Ratnadeep) to APIIC Raheja Park, Wipro junction to Gopanpally, Nallagandla to Gopanpally IT buildings and Nanakramguda expressway junction to Phoenix Info City stretches have been proposed for development.

These roads were not widened and developed for the past 10 years since formation of IALA, a wing of APIIC, during the late 90s. Some roads were proposed for widening in view of increase in traffic volume with several IT companies and other institutions establishing their offices and campuses in Madhapur and Gachibowli areas. The erstwhile Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (Huda) has even prepared a special development plan with an aim to develop roads where there is a concentration and cluster of IT companies and institutions under Cyberabad Development Authority. This was also approved by the municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department in October, 2001. However, the roads were not taken up either by Huda or APIIC.

GHMC has recently written a letter to APIIC for development of roads since most of these stretches were either passing through or have link to roads in IALAs. Most of these roads are connected to the Old Bombay highway, which has been expanded to 150 feet by the corporation. "GHMC has identified nine roads either passing through or link IALAs and it requires about Rs 140 crore, including cost of land acquisition, for widening. They will be taken up immediately," GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu said.

Some roads would be taken up by APIIC, while GHMC would take up stretches where property has to be acquired and R&B would develop roads under its jurisdiction. For example, the Old Bombay highway road to Wipro Junction via Khajaguda has been proposed for widening to 120ft. Part of the five-km road falls in R&B's jurisdiction and part in APIIC. As the R&B had already paid Rs five crore for land acquisition, another Rs 8 crore would be paid to GHMC to acquire remaining properties and laying road by the APIIC. Wipro Junction-Gopanpally stretch would be widened to 150 ft by R&B. "The Old Bombay Highway has already been widened and GHMC will provide service roads, footpaths, central median and storm water drains on the 150ft road at a cost of Rs 36 crore, which will be borne by APIIC," GHMC additional commissioner K Dhananjaya Reddy told TOI.