FNECS supports new AOC roads but rejects cantonment road closures
HYDERABAD: The Federation of Northeastern Colonies of Secunderabad (FNECS) has welcomed the Rs 960 crore AOC Centre road project under the Hyderabad City Innovative and Transformative Infrastructure (H-CITI). However, the group firmly opposes closing any existing cantonment roads, including Gough Road, Entrenchment Road, Ordnance Road, or Wellington Road. Members say closing these roads would severely disrupt mobility for hundreds of thousands of residents in the city’s northeastern corridor.
In addition, FNECS welcomes new roads. However, it insists that authorities must not close any existing roads during or after construction. Moreover, FNECS says some media reports claim that authorities plan to close several key roads at AOC Circle once the new network is complete. The affected roads would include Gough Road (AOC Circle to All Saints Road near Military Hospital), Entrenchment Road (AOC Circle to Marredpally), Ordnance Road (AOC Circle to Safilguda), and Wellington Road (AOC Circle to Rajiv Rahadari via Picket).
Further, FNECS said that new roads would help east-west traffic between the city and Safilguda or Malkajgiri. However, these roads would not ease north-south traffic. Many areas, such as Bolarum, Hakimpet, Yapral, Kowkur, Balaji Nagar, Sainikpuri, Vayupuri, AS Rao Nagar, and Kushaiguda, rely on the north-south Gough Road and Entrenchment Road corridor to reach the city.
Consequently, FNECS secretary CS Chandrasekhar said, “The proposed new roads would not help north-south traffic. Closing existing roads is therefore not acceptable to the public,” the Federation said.
Previously, FNECS referred to a 2022 letter from the Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, Hyderabad City, addressed to the CEO of the Secunderabad Cantonment Board. At the time, military authorities tried to close several cantonment roads.
Specifically, the Joint Commissioner cited RTA data to show that vehicle numbers in the cantonment area rose by 250% between 2011 and 2022. The cantonment also saw more traffic accidents each year than the rest of Hyderabad. Uber Mobility data showed lower vehicle speeds and longer trip times in the cantonment. The letter blamed a lack of roads for these problems.
Furthermore, the letter also said about 10% of the twin cities’ population lives in the northeastern part. This includes three GHMC circles, Kapra, Alwal, and Malkajgiri, as well as Secunderabad Cantonment Board wards.
As a result, FNECS said that earlier closures of roads such as Amherst Road, MCEME, Gough Road, and Entrenchment Road had already reduced mobility along Rajiv Rahadari and the northeast corridor to NH44. All traffic shifted to SH-1 (Rajiv Rahadari), which led to severe congestion in the cantonment and nearby areas. Additionally, the Federation said these closures caused more fuel use, higher air pollution, and increased noise. Since the 2022 letter, all these problems have gotten worse because of heavier traffic.
FNECS repeated that the cantonment area needs more roads, not closures. “We welcome new corridors to ease traffic. But we strongly demand that no existing road be closed during or after construction,” added CS Chandrasekhar. The Federation appealed to the Telangana State Government and the Ministry of Defence to take this demand into account while executing the project.
