Hyderabad: Residents of Chandragiri Colony (East and West), Santoshima Nagar and adjoining colonies in Safilguda have opposed a proposal to shift the location of a road underbridge (RUB) from the sanctioned site at level crossing (LC) BP-10 in Vinayak Nagar to an internal colony road. They fear the move could lead to the demolition of hundreds of houses and affect around 1,000 families. The residents have urged the district administration and railway authorities to retain the originally sanctioned location, where preliminary works had already begun.The controversy arose after the Medchal-Malkajgiri district collector reportedly wrote to railway authorities asking them to examine the feasibility of constructing a RUB along Chandragiri Colony and Santoshima Nagar Colony Road No. 3, near the Bank of India, as an alternative to the sanctioned RUB at LC BP-10. The proposal has drawn opposition from residents and property owners, who have submitted representations to the district collector, the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation commissioner and railway authorities through their respective welfare associations.K Sanjeeva Reddy, a retired railway employee and resident, said the authorities sanctioned the RUB at the Vinayak Nagar railway gate in 2008. “We do not understand why the authorities are suddenly exploring an alternative alignment through residential colonies. Hundreds of houses could be demolished, affecting families who have invested their savings and are still repaying housing loans. What will happen to them?” he asked.He also questioned the feasibility of widening the internal colony road, noting that a 6-metre-by-6-metre nala runs along the stretch. “How can the nala be removed or accommodated to make way for the proposed road? The authorities should explain how they plan to execute the project without causing widespread disruption to the residential area,” he said.Another resident, B Hanumanth Rao, said the Vinayak Nagar location was more suitable as it was an existing level crossing on a 20-metre-wide straight road, which is proposed to be widened to 30 metres under the revised master plan. “The road is used by Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) buses and provides access to several localities, including Moula Ali, AS Rao Nagar, Santoshima Nagar, Deen Dayal Nagar, Vinayak Nagar, Vunyala Shankaraiah Nagar, Sudhanagar, PB Colony, Brindavan Colony and DAV Public School,” he said.Indira, another resident, said the RUB at BP-10 had already been approved with two reinforced cement concrete (RCC) boxes, each measuring six metres by 4.5 metres, along with a service road. “A budget of ₹41.6 crore was sanctioned for the project and preliminary works, including utility shifting, had already commenced. We do not see any reason to alter the alignment after approval and initiation of pre-construction activities,” she said.Residents said the proposed alternative alignment passes through an existing 10-metre-wide internal road. Baradwaj, a resident, said widening it to 25 or 30 metres would affect more than 350 houses and apartment units, impacting around 1,000 families.They also pointed out that TGSRTC buses could not operate on the road without significant widening. Two sharp 90-degree turns and the presence of a nala along the stretch were cited as additional constraints.The proposed RUB is planned between railway mileposts 16-25 and 16-27. Residents questioned the need for another underbridge in the vicinity, noting that a six-metre-wide RUB already exists between mileposts 16-30 and 16-31 in Chandragiri Colony and has been in use for several decades.According to the residents, the approaches of the existing and proposed RUBs are within 50 metres of each other, while the connecting roads would merge or intersect within 100 metres of the railway track.They further stated that govt officials inspected the proposed alternative road on Aug 20 and 28, 2026, following which railway authorities began preparing the general arrangement drawing (GAD) for the structure.Residents opposing the proposal said the existing residential road was not designed to accommodate such a major infrastructure project and that widening it would have a significant impact on households along the alignment. They urged the authorities to take residents’ concerns into account before proceeding with any change in alignment.Several welfare associations, including the Santoshima Nagar Colony Residents’ Welfare Association, Suryodaya Welfare Society, Chandragiri Colony (West) Welfare Association, Brindavan Colony Welfare Association, Pulapalli Balaiah Nagar Welfare Association, Vunyala Shankaraiah Nagar Welfare Association and associations representing Sudhanagar and adjoining colonies, have submitted representations opposing the relocation.The residents said people from surrounding localities had been using the BP-10 level crossing for decades and argued that shifting the RUB would inconvenience commuters. They urged the district administration and railway authorities to construct the underbridge at the originally sanctioned location in Vinayak Nagar.
