HYDERABAD: With the Bonalu festival drawing large crowds across the city, unresolved road infrastructure issues in Shaikpet have once again highlighted the gap between sanctioned civic works and on-ground execution. A key road improvement project approved nearly a year ago remains stalled, leaving commuters, public transport users and local residents navigating deteriorated road conditions on one of western Hyderabad’s busy traffic corridors.
The Shaikpet road project, estimated at around ₹45 lakh, was cleared as part of a wider package of local infrastructure upgrades. However, construction has yet to begin despite the road serving as a major link connecting residential neighbourhoods including Manikonda and Puppalguda with Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills and adjoining commercial areas. The unfinished work has resulted in deep potholes that slow traffic movement and increase safety risks, particularly during the monsoon season when road damage typically worsens. Residents and civic representatives have urged municipal authorities to undertake immediate temporary repairs while the larger project awaits implementation. According to civic stakeholders familiar with the matter, limited patchwork could significantly improve road safety at a fraction of the sanctioned project cost, reducing disruption during the upcoming festive period when vehicle and pedestrian movement is expected to increase. Municipal officials have indicated that execution of the Shaikpet road project is linked to technical clearances involving underground water infrastructure. The affected stretch reportedly lies above a major gravity-fed raw water conduit that transports water towards the city’s treatment facilities. Any permanent construction requires coordination between civic engineering agencies and the water utility to ensure that essential infrastructure remains protected.
Urban planners note that such inter-agency coordination has increasingly become a challenge for rapidly growing cities where transport infrastructure overlaps with ageing utility networks. Delays in obtaining clearances often extend project timelines, while residents continue to bear the consequences through poor road conditions, longer travel times and increased vehicle maintenance costs. The corridor is also an important route for public transport services operating across western Hyderabad. Buses using the stretch frequently encounter congestion caused by damaged carriageways, affecting schedule reliability and increasing travel uncertainty for daily commuters. Beyond mobility concerns, deteriorated roads contribute to higher emissions through slow-moving traffic, underlining the need for timely maintenance as part of broader climate-resilient urban infrastructure planning.
Urban development experts argue that preventive road maintenance and faster coordination between infrastructure agencies are essential for building more resilient cities. Delayed execution not only raises future repair costs but also weakens public confidence in infrastructure planning, particularly when projects receive administrative approval without visible progress on the ground. With festive traffic expected to intensify over the coming days, attention is likely to remain on whether authorities can accelerate interim repairs and resolve pending approvals so that the long-delayed project moves from planning to execution, improving safety, connectivity and urban mobility for thousands of daily road users.
