'Reopen Safilguda railway crossing': Secunderabad residents lament road closure

Residents in Secunderabad have approached authorities over the closure of the main road at the Safilguda railway station crossing, which has resulted in long detours and traffic jams for commuters.  The road was closed on August 30 and a notice was put up informing the general public that the gate will be reopened after due repair on September 15.   However, it has not been opened till date."About one lakh denizens use this crossing every day, which passes through the heart of the Malkajgiri suburb. It has become an arduous and strenuous task for commuters as they have been taking a detour every day since then," a delegation of the United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations said in a letter to Gajanan Mallya, General Manager, South Central Railway, Secunderabad."With the gate closed, the entire traffic is being routed through an unmanaged T-Junction, which is resulting in a traffic hazard leading to chaos during peak hours," the letter added. The residents appealed to the General Manager to open the gate as soon as possible."In addition, we would request you to kindly use (your) good office to arrange for a Feasibility study for the expansion of existing flyover at Ramakrishna Puram Railway Station to ease the traffic flow," the residents wrote."Finally, we would request your intervention towards early completion of second track and new station works to enable introduction of trains between Moula-Ali and Hitec City via Sanathnagar as proposed in MMTS Phase II development. This connection will reduce the commuting time significantly for office goers and others," they added. At present, locals in the region have also been demanding expedition of construction of a road under bridge (RuB) at Anandbagh. The project has not been completed even though it has been six years since its inception and despite multiple promises from the state government, forcing commuters to take narrow alternate roads. Read: Tired of apathy, citizens name road project in Secunderabad after KTR