Since early on Tuesday morning, those alighting from different trains on the Secunderabad station, as were the office-goers slightly later found the going tough. Those who got down at the Bhoiguda side of the station expected vehicles to take them to home on the other side of Secunderabad.
But they were surprised to be taken around, away from the Oliphenta Bridge, through the old Gandhi Hospital and Mortuary, towards Monda Market and beyond . Their surprise turned to disbelief when told that the bridge would be closed for traffic till August 22.
A mite conspicuous was that the normally-busy section was bereft of the juggernauts of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation that make 22,000 trips, every single day.
What was even more surprisingly-comfortable was that driving down from the Sangeet end, right upto the bridge was oh-so-comfortable, what with the traffic virtually just a quarter of what is, on normal days.
This was because, police personnel at the Sangeet junction diverted road users going towards Chilkalguda and beyond, to go towards Alugaddabaavi.
People surprised
Road users expressed their surprise at the extent to which officials - whether it was those from the Traffic Police or Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) or the L & T Metro Rail- went putting up flexis proclaiming the traffic diversions.
Announcements
The South Central Railway too kept up announcements inside and outside the precincts of the Secunderabad station to forewarn those alighting from trains.
The only movement under the famous bridge was that of pedestrians, with many of them watching the activity going on, primarily that of putting together of what will ultimately be the 1,150-tonne heavy steel structure over the railway tracks.
There were at least a half-a-dozen cranes of different descriptions and with lifting capacities ranging from 40 to 80 tonnes.
Among those who were on the spot included Assistant Commissioner of Police-Traffic, A. Muthyam Reddy, the L & T Metro Rail Deputy General Manager, Sravan, Director-Prasuna Infra, J. Venugopal, who is also GHMC’s consultant in road engineering.
There were about 50 traffic policemen and the L & T’s own white-shirted personnel helping the traffic police personnel.