Sankranti rush blocks road to Hyderabad

ORR sees long convoys coming in from different parts of the city and heading to different destinations

Hyderabad: On Thursday, all roads out of the city were packed with people heading to their home towns for the Sankranti celebrations.

From the suburbs of the city connecting the National Highway and the National Highway to the Outer Ring Road, the movement of vehicles began to accelerate in the early morning. ORR’s 158-kilometer highway sees long caravans coming in from different parts of the city and heading to various destinations.

Almost all tollbooths have seen crowds of people, cars and vans waiting to pass. However, FASTags help to clear the vehicle faster. Given the sheer volume of traffic on the highways, the festive season’s reliance on private vehicles appears to be even greater.

Demand for public transport has also peaked as reserved seats have soared. The pick-up point for the private bus fleet, with families waiting for their buses from early evening until late at night. Apart from the towns and cities of Telangana, the neighboring Andhra Pradesh destinations are also in high demand.

Meanwhile, TSRTC has set up dedicated camps for passengers waiting to board their vehicles in congested areas such as Uppal Intersection, LB Nagar, Aramghar and KPHB, which usually have high passenger traffic. Passengers in these areas are being provided with comfortable tents, chairs, drinking water and mobile bio-toilets.

TSRTC managing director VC Sajjanar said 4,233 private vehicles had been arranged to pick up and drop off people to Sankranti’s hometown. “We’re running special buses on regular fares without any markup, and we’re offering a 10 per cent discount on the return journey for those who book in advance,” he said.

In addition, special lanes have been arranged for Taiwan Railway passenger cars at the toll stations, so that citizens can reach their destinations in the first time.