Hyderabad: During President Pranab Mukherjee’s recent Southern Sojourn in the city, the movement of VVIP convoys caused massive traffic hold-ups multiple times at different places. Traffic on the route to Rashtrapati Nilayam was halted several times during the week, Mr Mukherjee went to the Raj Bhavan for a dinner hosted by the Governor on December 27, causing a traffic issue on the roads.
The dinner hosted by the President on December 30 saw several VIPs going to Rashtrapati Nilayam in long convoys, which resulted in traffic jams. Traffic was halted at the Paradise flyover twice, jamming traffic on the SP Road till Sangeet theatre. On the other side, the traffic was hit at KBR Park. When the President left for Delhi from Hakimpet on Saturday, the VIPs including the Governor and the Chief Minister travelled to the Indian Air Force station, jamming traffic all along the route.
Commuters also suffered on the roads at Kowkur, Yapral, Dam-maiguda and Tim-maipalli when the President went to attend the convocation ceremony of the Army College of Dental Sciences on December 23. “Except for one programme (the convocation), traffic police had not issued any traffic diversion. All other VIP movements were sudden and people rushing for their work places and hospitals got stuck on roads for hours,” said a motorist from Gopalapuram. Asked about this, a traffic police officer said that this year traffic flow during the President’s visit was better managed as compared to previous years.
