Hyderabad: At least two ambulances were stuck in a traffic jam caused by the convoy of Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday. Mr Venkaiah Naidu was on his way to Begumpet airport and the traffic police halted vehicles at the junctions to provide him a green channel.
A motorist complained that once Mr Venkaiah Naidu’s convoy had passed the spot on SP Road, the police also left the place without clearing the jam.
Mr Suresh Kochattil, who was stranded in the traffic, said, “At about 1.40 pm in the afternoon, an ambulance had to wait for 10 minutes for the traffic to clear near the College of Air Warfare near the CTO flyover. There was an ambulance which was wailing ways for almost 10 minutes. Many commuters suggested to the driver to take the left which was 100 metres away.”
He said traffic police ignored the ambulance. “I called the traffic control room and complained about it and requested them to clear the way for the ambulance.” He said he was in the traffic jam for almost half an hour. “The moment the VVIP left all the traffic cops left the scene,” he said.
Mr Kochatil added that by the time he reached Rasoolpura, the scene was chaotic and he saw another ambulance in the traffic.
An official from Hyderabad Traffic police on condition of anonymity said, “We gave a traffic advisory to avoid the route. The traffic jam during the VIP movement can be solved by the lawmakers themselves.
He said the police was doing its duty by providing green channel to the VIP. “We can’t allow any vehicle to move during the VIP movement. It is a security concern. If there is any untoward incident caused by the ambulance, who will be responsible?”
He also acknowledged the problem for the patient in the ambulance. “If there is an emergency case in the ambulance and if the victim dies because he couldn’t reach the hospital in time who will be responsible? It is a double edge sword,” he said.
According to sources, when Mr Venkaiah Naidu was informed about the traffic issue, he had agreed for some relaxation of the rules. When a green channel is ordered, vehicles on both sides of the roads are stopped. Mr Venkaiah Naidu reportedly agreed to free flow of traffic on the opposite side of the road. On Monday, however, traffic on both sides of the road appeared disrupted.
