HYDERABAD: In a dramatic protest against Hyderabad’s worsening road conditions, a local resident sat inside a large pothole on a busy road in the Old City, bringing traffic to a standstill and drawing fresh attention to civic complaints over damaged roads and delayed repairs. The unusual demonstration, captured on video and widely shared on social media, underscored growing public frustration over potholes that have multiplied after recent rains.Feroze, the protester, reportedly staged the sit-in on Imlibun-Putlibowli Road near Gowliguda bus stand on Sunday evening to highlight the hardships faced by motorists and pedestrians due to pothole-ridden roads. Residents said the condition of several roads in southern Hyderabad has deteriorated significantly in recent days, making daily commuting difficult and increasing the risk of accidents.As the protest gathered attention, traffic police rushed to the spot and attempted to persuade Feroze to leave the road, citing severe disruption on the busy stretch. However, he refused to back down and reportedly asked people around him to record videos of the incident as evidence in case he was removed from the site.Police personnel are said to have assured him that the damaged road would be repaired by the following morning. Feroze, however, questioned why the issue had remained unaddressed for several days despite repeated complaints from residents.The protest briefly threw traffic out of gear before police intervened and restored normalcy. Videos of the demonstration quickly went viral, prompting renewed criticism of the civic authorities and calls for urgent repairs.Residents of the area urged the GHMC to immediately fill potholes and repair damaged stretches before they lead to serious accidents or further inconvenience to commuters.Responding to the criticism, a senior official from the GHMC town planning department said the road had already undergone patchwork on three occasions, but persistent water stagnation had repeatedly damaged the surface.“Patchwork had been carried out three times on the stretch, but persistent water stagnation had caused the road to deteriorate again. We have sought permission from the traffic department to divert traffic temporarily so that the damaged portion can be repaired. The permission is still awaited, and the patchwork will be completed as soon as it is granted,” the official said.According to an executive engineer from the GHMC town planning department, road levelling/scraping work was under way at the location on Monday. Potholes would be attended with bituminous material on Tuesday. After obtaining permission from the joint commissioner (traffic), a cement concrete road will be laid on the stretch, he added.
