Hyderabad: The rain seeped into the blanks of some of the overpasses and damaged the new paintings on its pillars, leaving behind an ugly look and raising concerns about the effective use of taxpayer funds. The paintings of MASAB tanks and Telugu Tali Overpasses were the most affected.
On both overpasses, paintings on multiple pillars were widely damaged as rainwater penetrated into the concrete slabs. In many cases, the water also leaves ugly black vertical stripes and wet patches.
A retired GHMC engineer criticized the project, saying: “The problems related to stormwater leakage should be addressed before landscaping work.” The engineer stressed that several overpasses lacked proper water outlets, and even in the presence of moderate rain, leading to sinks on the road.
GHMC has allocated Rs 149.84 crore for urban beautification, which includes not only paintings on the overpass pillars, but also the installation of artworks at strategic junctions. The responsibility for maintaining these overpasses and restoring damaged roads is the company’s maintenance department.
