Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) authorities on Sunday took up a massive anti-encroachment drive, especially between L.B. Nagar and Malakpet, on Corridor One (L.B. Nagar to Miyapur) to clear the space for pedestrians.
For over a year now, HMR has been building designer tiled sidewalks/footpaths, service roads, parking areas etc., of about 500 metres on both sides of the stations of metro rail corridors but to its dismay, those were being encroached upon by shops, vendors and hawkers.
After noticing the encroachments increasing by the day on sections specifically widened for street-level works, HMR officials swung into action and removed over 20 permanent structures including steps, walls, railings etc., constructed by shopkeepers.
Further, 300 temporary structures such as paan shops, kiosks and tea stalls, 130 makeshift stalls, and 300 hoardings obstructing the free movement of pedestrians were removed in the demolition drive carried out in the last three days, HMR MD N.V.S. Reddy said on Sunday.
After supervising the drive at Dilsukhnagar, Chaitanyapuri and other places, he instructed his engineers to create more parking places in the retrieved open spaces and provide safety railings and bollards on the newly laid footpaths wherever required to prevent encroachments.
Mr. Reddy has also warned shopkeepers and vendors encroaching public spaces that strict action will be taken against those who occupy the footpaths and service roads.
In the meantime, the metro trains have been witnessing unprecedented rush of late with Thursday’s passenger ridership clocking a high of 2.26 lakh as citizens moving out to their respective native places for the Sankranti festival used the facility to travel towards L.B. Nagar, Uppal, Nagole, MGBS, etc.