VT Outages at FoBs in Hyderabad, India, Hinder Accessibility

Many of the more than 50 foot overbridges (FoBs) in Hyderabad, India, have been outfitted with vertical-transportation (VT) equipment that no longer works, hindering accessibility and forcing some pedestrians to cross busy roads, the Times of India reports. The source said the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corp. (GHMC) and private agencies have “neglected the maintenance of FoBs,” as well as their elevators and escalators, at busy locations such as Muffakham Jah College, LV Prasad Marg, Balanagar, Sana Thnagar, Mendipatnam and Dilsukhna Gar. GHMC has an additional 30 FoBs in the works, acknowledged the need for VT repairs at existing facilities and said the private companies that lease several FoBs for advertising purposes “will undertake the required maintenance work.”