Hyderabad: The Secunderabad West Metro station on the green line, designed to provide convenient access to platform 1 of the bustling Secunderabad Railway Station, has over the years been transformed into an urban wilderness marked by garbage dumps, and wildfires.
In Feb alone, three small wildfires were reported spreading through the unchecked vegetation near the Metro station. “The situation has become increasingly difficult to manage,” said a Metro official on condition of anonymity, adding: “What was supposed to be a direct transit point has unfortunately attracted numerous problems over the years.”
Meanwhile, one of the two entrance gates remains permanently sealed with aluminium sheets, while armed police commandos guard the only operational entrance. The surrounding area, instead of being landscaped as planned, has become a wasteland of rubbish heaps and dense vegetation.
The deployment of police helped curb a lot of anti-social elements at bay, said a source. Part of the land has been converted into a storage facility for traffic police, which houses over 250 impounded vehicles and other seized materials, sources said.
Commuters say the station should not come across as a poor cousin to other Metro stations, which are not only easily accessible to the public, but also have their surroundings well kept.
Despite repeated requests by commuters as well as staff to Metro authorities to clear the vegetation, no action has been taken. “Plans to develop a car park have been under discussion for the past four years,” said an official. “It used to be much worse, we’ve got the area cleared a few times, but there’s still a lot to be done. There have been constant delays in implementation.”
