Hyderabad Road Poles to Go by Nov 10, DC Says

Electricity poles still standing in the middle of a new dual carriageway in Hyderabad will be moved by November 10, the district administration says, after videos of motorists weaving between the poles drew sharp criticism on social media. Officials say 97 poles had already been shifted by October 28.

The road connects Alamdar Chowk with the old National Highway near Qasim Chowk. It is a 1.6 kilometre dual carriageway, part of three road projects costing Rs1.06 billion, meant to ease traffic pressure on Qasim Chowk and Wadhu Wah in Qasimabad. The poles were there before the road: the area was once an abandoned waterlogged stretch used for transmission, and the poles carry high-tension lines from the nearby 132-kV grid station.

Why Hyderabad road poles are still in the carriageway

The poles existed in place when the first layer of carpeting was laid. Because the two ends of the road were not blocked with barriers, vehicles started using it, supposing there was no risk. Motorists and bike riders have had to drive in a zig-zag manner to avoid hitting the poles, and videos uploaded a couple of days ago showed the road dotted with them.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah addressed the criticism on Friday, while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the World Culture Festival in Karachi. He said it was the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) that was responsible for relocating the poles, and that the utility was provided funds for the work but did not carry it out. He explained the government’s thinking plainly: the road was constructed first and traffic restored so that pressure would come upon Hesco. “As soon as the road was constructed, public pressure increased and Hesco was forced to remove the poles,” he said.

That explanation sits uneasily beside the district administration’s own account. Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner Zainul Abedin Memon said on Thursday night that the road was not formally opened. Barricades, cautionary signage and other deterrents were deployed by the executive agency and the traffic police, he said, “but commuters continue to breach them daily”.

Both accounts cannot be fully true at once. Either the road was opened to create pressure, as the chief minister said, or it was never formally opened and drivers are breaching barriers, as the deputy commissioner said. What is not in dispute is the result: traffic is using a carriageway that still has poles in it.

What Hesco says has already moved

Hesco spokesman Sadiq Kubar gave figures that put the remaining work in context. The Qasimabad grid station near Alamdar Chowk feeds electricity to 27 feeders, and 24 of them pass through this area. Of those, 22 have been shifted to new poles and energised, leaving five to be energised. Relocation involved a cost of Rs79 million, he said.

The deputy commissioner added that only the base binder course has been laid so far, with the final wearing course of asphalt yet to be laid.

The land question was settled before construction. The chief minister said the chief secretary contacted the military estate authorities and got land use permission, since the area falls within the territory of the Cantonment Board Hyderabad and the Military Estate Office. Work on the project began in April this year.

An admission of negligence, and a deadline

Frequently asked questions

Which road in Hyderabad still has poles in it?

The 1.6 kilometre dual carriageway connecting Alamdar Chowk with the old National Highway near Qasim Chowk, part of three road projects costing Rs1.06 billion.

When will the remaining Hyderabad road poles be moved?

Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner Zainul Abedin Memon said the remaining poles would be relocated by November 10, with 97 poles already shifted by October 28.

Why were the poles not moved before the road was built?

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said Hesco was responsible for relocating the poles and was given funds but did not carry out the work, and that building the road first was a strategy to put pressure on Hesco. The deputy commissioner said the road was not formally opened and that commuters breach the barricades daily.

How much has the pole relocation cost?

Hesco spokesman Sadiq Kubar said relocation of the poles involved a cost of Rs79 million, with 22 of the 27 feeders from Qasimabad grid station shifted to new poles and energised so far.