HYDERABAD: A major reason for traffic congestion in various parts of the twin cities is the existence of close to 100 bottlenecks at about 500 spots in the state capital, inquiries with civic bodies, traffic personnel and citizens reveal.
“One of the major bottlenecks is at Begumpet near the Nandini hotel at the end of CTO flyover towards Rasoolpura, apart from the Chilla near the Parade Ground in Secunderabad. The two places cause a traffic jam over a stretch of two kilometres and increase commute time. We, the residents of Begumpet, have no option but to deal with it every day,” says Ganji Kiran, a businessman.
Another bottleneck is near Bhulaxmi temple beside Narayanguda flyover towards Himayatnagar Y Junction. “This road is a snail’s track. It has free flow only during early mornings and late nights. I can confidently say this as my shop is in a building on the roadside,” states Kishore, a DTP shop owner.
Among the other major bottlenecks causing traffic congestion are Bahadurpura, where the road shrinks due to high tension lines on both sides, Falaknuma between Aliya Jhanda and Syed Ali Chabutra, Pochamma temple near Film Nagar, Karbala Maidan to Sailing Club stretch, Golnaka Nala and Darga at Kachiguda, Malakpet Chilla in front of Mahindra showroom, Renuka Yellamma temple opposite Secunderabad YMCA, apart from the graveyard at Bowenpally.
Says I. Venkateswarlu, retired Indian Airlines employee: “Hyderabad is a city that was established over 400 years ago. It was planned well for the population of those days. There were no structures that obstructed traffic like you see nowadays, whether graveyards or temples. But over the decades, migration into Hyderabad has led to localities mushrooming. The IT boom followed. Graveyards, mosques, temples and various other religious structures are becoming the cause for traffic jams. Religious sentiments are attached to them. Removing them for smooth traffic flow is a deal that authorities do not attempt,” points out Venkateswarlu.
Says a passerby: “Old structures are fine. They have been there since before independence. The sad part now is that we see many religious structures encroaching on roads. How can they come up? Is the GHMC in slumber?”
Additional commissioner, traffic, Anil Kumar, says they are deputing personnel to man traffic and clear bottlenecks. But removing the structures that cause the bottlenecks is totally another issue. GHMC needs to focus on this, an official pointed out.
