Karimnagar: Traffic junctions in the town are going to get a new look with the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar taking up renovation as well as development of new traffic islands in the town.

Besides other beautification works, modernization of traffic islands has also been taken up under the Karimnagar Smart City programme. Initially, 13 islands including Telangana Chowk, Town-I Police Station, Housing Board, Padmanagar, Cable Bridge Chowk, Sadashivpalli, Bommakal Bypass, Alugunur Chowk, Naka Chowk, R&B Chowk and a few others are being developed. Six more intersections will be developed later.
Recently, BC Welfare and Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar inspected the Telangana Chowk island, on which work has reached the final stage. Alugunur Crossroads, which is also the entry point into the town, is being developed with beautification of the traffic island and junction at a cost of Rs.1 crore.

Alugunur village on the outskirts of Karimnagar town was merged with the Corporation two years ago and included as the eighth municipal division of the corporation. Accordingly, Corporation authorities had launched the laying of a drinking water pipeline to Alugunur from the town and took up other developmental works.

Corporation authorities have also decided to build an island at Cable Bridge junction since it is mandatory to avoid accidents. A world-class Cable Bridge has been constructed across the Manair rivulet in the downstream of Lower Manair Dam near the Housing Board Colony on the outskirts of Karimnagar town.

The vehicular traffic coming from Karimnagar town has to cross Rajiv Rahadari to go onto the cable bridge. At the same time, traffic moving on the cable bridge from the Warangal side has to cross Rajiv Rahadari to enter the town. There is a possibility of accidents if the traffic was allowed to go directly onto the bridge or come down from it since Rajiv Rahadari is always busy. So the corporation authorities have decided to develop an intersection at the cable bridge.

On the other hand, a modern traffic signaling system is also being developed in the town. Though the population of the town has been increasing every year, there is no proper traffic regulation system in the town. The Corporation decided to establish the traffic signaling system in the town and identified 24 heavy traffic flowing points. Signals were already set up in four places such as the Bus Stand, Prathima Multiplex, Kaman Chowk and Padmanagar, with a trial run carried out for a few days.

As part of the Integrated Traffic Management system, 85 automatic red-light violation detection cameras and 174 CCTV cameras would also be installed to check traffic violations. Besides traffic junctions, 110 CCTV cameras would also be installed along main roads, markets, business areas and sensitive and problematic areas. About 350 surveillance cameras would be interlinked to the Command Control Centre being constructed near the cable bridge.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Mayor Y Sunil Rao said as part of beautification of the town, junction developmental works were taken up. While the works of a few islands have reached the final stage, others were in different stages.

Traffic signaling system was one among 13 services to be provided under the Integrated Command Control Centre, he said, adding that the signaling system would be launched after completion of works.