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The barricades outside Pragathi Bhavan in Hyderabad was brought down on December 7, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Ramakrishna. G
The barricaded pathway leading to the Chief Minister’s Camp Office, Pragathi Bhavan, was torn down on December 7, 2023 morning, heralding a significant change in policy. The pathway barred the entry of pedestrians and forced them to share space with fast moving vehicular traffic for several years.
Even as an official ceremony was underway in L.B. Stadium to swear-in A. Revanth Reddy as Telangana’s second Chief Minister, dozens of workmen walked into the yawning gates of Pragathi Bhavan, once the impenetrable fortress-like plush residence of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, around 10.30 a.m.
Carrying jackhammers, gas-powered cutters, and using three earth-movers and a crane, workers began bringing down the barricades that cordoned off – 8.2 metre wide and 97.9 metre in length stretch of road- that began from the entry gate of Vivekananda Hospital and ended near the ramp of the Begumpet Flyover.
“We have at least 65 people working here. The work began soon after 11.30 a.m. and is expected to end either by evening or latest on Friday morning,” said a worker in the know.
The hydraulic arms of excavators crushed the white, concertina wire laced barricades, while the gas cutters removed remnants of iron rods. Security infrastructure too began to be scaled down.
Motorists and passersby slowed down to take a better look at the developments, taking pictures and recording videos on their smartphones. A couple of motorcyclists even cheered and whistled even as parts of the barricades were being loaded into trucks.
“Revanth Reddy has done a good thing by removing the barricades. I take this road at least twice a week and the traffic used to get blocked in the evenings. At least now people can travel without problems. They [traffic police] penalise people if they park on the road, but look here – they blocked the whole road,” Satish Kumar, who was travelling with his wife and daughter, said.
A pedestrian who frequently used the road said that he was hit on the arm by two-wheelers on two different occasions. “When you are walking toward crossroads, you don’t know who will hit you from behind. It was dangerous. At least you can see what is in front of you when you’re walking back,” he said.
While traffic was regulated on the stretch in the past, the barricades came up around nine years ago. The height was augmented later. Though a pavement within the barricaded area exists, it was off limits for pedestrians. Entry of vehicles was strictly regulated.
Though a pavement within the barricaded area exists, it was off limits for pedestrians.
| Photo Credit:
Ramakrishna. G
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