Dasara Rush: Severe Gridlock at Hyderabad Outlets, Highways Paralysed

HYDERABAD: The annual festive exodus ahead of Dasara has brought key transport hubs and arterial highways in and around Hyderabad to a grinding halt, as tens of thousands of citizens head to their native towns and villages. Major bus terminals across the twin cities—including the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS), Jubilee Bus Station (JBS), and Dilsukhnagar—witnessed overwhelming passenger footfall from early hours. While the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) deployed additional bus fleets to handle the surge, boarding bays and surrounding roads remained heavily crowded throughout the day. The high volume of private cars, buses, and commercial carriers led to severe traffic bottlenecks along key inter-district and interstate routes: Hyderabad–Vijayawada Highway (NH-65): The corridor witnessed severe congestion stretching over several kilometers in Nalgonda district. Ongoing construction work on a new flyover at Chityal, coupled with heavy festive outflow, throttled movement. Traffic came to a complete standstill near Choutuppal and Borralagudem, leaving motorists stranded for well over an hour. Commuters voiced sharp anger over the absence of active traffic personnel and highway patrol teams to regulate bottlenecks.