CRYING FOR ATTENTION: Motorists navigate across potholes-turned-puddles in the posh Marredpally area after showers. — PHOTO: P.V. Sivakumar

HYDERABAD: A hectic election schedule done with, officials of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board are now back to the drawing board and are trying to set the ruined roads in their jurisdiction right.

And the signals are heartening enough. Work on five major roads that crisscross the SCB's province is all set to begin within a week. There is a hitch though. "Our prayer is that the rains stay away for some time. If that happens, works on the five main roads in our region will begin within a week," SCB executive officer T. Arockianathan said.

All set

Mr. Arockianathan, who held a review meeting on the road conditions with his engineers here on Thursday, said it was because of the election notification that came on May 19 that repair works on the five roads were held up. "Otherwise, everything was ready on May 17 itself for works worth Rs.2.2 crores," he said.

The five roads that will receive fresh coats of tar and have potholes and ditches done away with are the Bison Polo Ground-Diamond Point stretch, the West Marredpally Ganesh temple to Marredpally police station road, the entire Jubilee Bus Station junction, the Entrenchment Road near the AOC Centre and the Hasmathpet road.

"Our engineers and the contractor who was awarded the work have already been told to warm up so that work will begin once the skies are clear," the CEO said. However, work on the internal roads, for which around Rs.1.5 crore is estimated to be spent, can begin only after the newly-elected Board takes over and sanctions the work orders, he said.

The five main roads have been in tatters for a long time, with the public bombarding the Cantonment officials with complaints on the West Marredpally road for over a year now.

Finalisation of tenders for repair works on these roads were called early this year but the commencement of work dragged on because just when work orders were to be placed, the election code of conduct came into effect.

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