Hyderabad, November 06: The Begumpet airport, which is not in operation after the Shamshabad terminal was thrown open, might see some traffic in the coming days. It would not be air but vehicular traffic which would be plying through the airport.
As part of its plans to bring old and unused roads back to use to ease congestion of traffic, the city police is planning to use the old airport for traffic from Begumpet to Balanagar and Bowenpally.
Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic) C V Anand said the road passing through the airport used to be open for vehicular traffic more than 20 years back when the flights were not scheduled to take off or land. An accident involving a motorist and a flight led to closure of the road, he said, adding that they want to reopen the road for vehicular traffic as the airport was shifted to Shamshabad.
“This route begins at the Begumpet law and order police station leading to the air cargo unit and across the runway it reaches the road connecting the boundary wall on the other side,’’ Anand said.
There are three roads that go through the airport and using them will bring down the distance of travel to Bowenpally, Balanagar and other areas on the other side of the airport. Anand said they, along with the airport authorities, have inspected the road. A letter to the Airports Authority will be soon sent to re-open the route, he said, adding that approval of the civil aviation ministry was necessary to use the road.
Meanwhile, more one-ways are proposed on several stretches in the city on an experimental basis. This proposal, the police said, was taken after obtaining good results on implementation of one-way rule at Krishna Nagar, Yousufguda checkpost and Anand Nagar Colony.
“It is just a proposal. We know it is not so easy to convert them into one-way and we are inviting suggestions from general public in this regard,’’ he said.
It is also proposed to place cement barricades across the flyovers to ensure that motorists do not take a U-turn on the flyovers. “Apart from taking U-turn on flyovers, people are coming to the extreme right blocking traffic coming from the opposite direction,’’ Anand said, adding that the Masab Tank flyover was completely blocked on an experiment basis. People can post their suggestions or mail to www.trafficpolicehyderabad@yahoo.com
–Agencies