Techies in Hyd’s IT corridor to stay back after work in case of rain, here’s why

According to reports, in case of heavy rainfall between 4 pm and 7 pm, women staff will be given priority to leave the office first.

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With even brief showers inundating roads and causing major traffic snarls in Cyberabad, the IT Corridor of Hyderabad, authorities on Thursday told companies situated in the area, to delay the exit of their employees in case of a downpour.

This means that techies will have to stay back in office, even after they finish their work, in case of monsoon showers.

"All AYE’s for 4 to 6 pm down pour initiative as IT industry of Cyberabad has agreed to stagger the exit of their employees in the evening when heavy rainfall happens which is about 10 to 12 evenings in mosoon season (sic)," Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner Dana Kishore tweeted.

All AYE’s for 4 to 6 pm down pour initiative as IT industry of Cyberabad has agreed to stagger the exit of their employees in the evening when heavy rainfall happens which is about 10 to 12 evenings in mosoon season @ TelnganaCMO@ KTRTRS pic.twitter.com/yKT6d7CCUp — Commissioner GHMC (@CommissionrGHMC) June 27, 2019

According to media reports, in case of heavy rainfall between 4 pm and 7 pm, women staff will be given priority to leave the office first, followed by the departure of other employees based on parameters like the distance to their destination among others.

Earlier this week, Dana Kishore met representatives of Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA), National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and Cyberabad Security Council to redress the traffic inconvenience to commuters during heavy downpour between 4 pm to 6 pm in the IT corridor.

After wider consultation on Thursday to find solutions, authorities decided to delay the exit of the employees.

Waterlogging as a result of the rain is so severe in Cyberabad, that the traffic police have issued advisories on alternate routes to take, recommending that commuters avoid several arterial roads in the city.

Earlier this month, many techies were stranded on the roads as a few hours of rain resulted in a massive traffic jam, especially near the Raheja Mindspace underpass. Many took to social media to complain that it took them almost three hours to travel from IKEA to Biodiversity junction; a distance of around 3 km.

The Cyberabad police have also admitted that approximately half an hour of waterlogging at Shilparamam near Cyber Towers, leads to congestion at Kothaguda, Botanical Gardens and Gachibowli for almost two to three hours.

One of the main issues for the traffic and waterlogging on the roads according to urban planners and activists is rapid urbanisation in the city, especially in the IT corridor, where an area that was once dotted with towering rocks and large lakes, has been flattened to give way to skyscrapers and high-rises.

Read: Who is to blame for Hyderabad's waterlogged roads and traffic woes during monsoon?