Hyderabad's latest flyover under SRDP named after Abdul Kalam

Hyderabad, Dec 28 (IANS) Hyderabad added another flyover under Strategic Road Development Project (SRDP) as Owaisi-Midhani Junction Flyover was thrown open on Tuesday.

The 1.36 km long flyover has been named after former President and father of India's missile programme Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

Telangana's minister for municipal administration and urban development K. T. Rama Rao, who inaugurated the flyover, called it a small tribute to a great great man who worked at DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) and also lived in the neighbourhood for over a decade.

Built at an estimated cost of Rs 80 crore, the flyover will facilitate hassle-free traffic movement over Owaisi Junction, a busy intersection near Owaisi Hospital and Research Centre in Santosh Nagar, the area which has several defence research laboratories including DRDO, Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (Midhani) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

Home minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, education minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and Chandrayangutta MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi attended the inaugural ceremony.

The flyover has been constructed under SRDP, an initiative of the state government to improve the infrastructure in Hyderabad. The multilevel flyover will ease traffic congestion and help provide better connectivity between eastern part of the city and the old city.

During the last four years construction of 19 flyovers, underpasses and bridges was completed during the last four years.

These include iconic Durgam Cheruvu cable-stayed bridge is a four-lane elevated corridor which reduces the distance between Jubilee Hills to Hitec City, Gachibowli areas, Mindspace Junction flyover, Mindspace Junction Underpass in the heart of Hitec City, the second level flyover at Biodiversity Junction which provides a conflict-free corridor for the traffic in Hitec City, Madhapur, Gachibowli and IT corridor, Biodiversity Flyover (Level I) which eases the traffic congestion on Old Bombay Highway from Gachibowli towards Raidurg.

Minister KTR had told the state Assembly in September that the government is making all efforts to complete SRDP on priority to ease traffic congestion in the city. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had taken Rs 5,900 crore loan for the project.

He had revealed that of the total 46 projects proposed under SRDP, about 22 were completed and 24 were under progress. The 22 works have been thrown open to traffic.

The remaining 24 works (21 by GHMC and three by NHAI and R & B Department) are under various stages of construction, he had said.