HYDERABAD: Many passengers say that the ‘No Parking’ and ‘No Vendors’ boards put up at the Mehdipatnam bus depot are a complete farce. Daily commuters who pass through Humayunnagar bear the brunt of many traffic snarls. The road is crammed with parked buses and the dense flow of traffic. “Despite having a scooter, it is difficult to navigate my way through the traffic that builds up during the peak hours of the morning. Some buses are parked halfway on the road and the drivers wait till they have a sufficient number of passengers. This obstructs traffic. Another issue is the vendors. Many fruit sellers and carts with household items line up on the road, even inside the bus depot. How can all this not create traffic congestion,” said wonders Thayyiba Jinan, a commuter.
The Rythu Bazaar near the bus depot is always crowded and fruit vendors stand outside the depot all the way on to the roads. “We cannot afford to buy fruits and let them get spoilt. The bus depot is crowded even late at night. If I don’t manage to sell my produce elsewhere, I come to the bus depot. It’s more profitable for me as people come to buy fruits even late in the night. It might not be legal according to the board, but it should be permitted because I am trying to fend for my family,” said Nr Mohammed Aslam, a fruit seller. Authorities are at their wits’ end trying to clear the area from traffic congestion. As the bus depot is next to the flyover, it causes even more congestion.
“If a vendor is found to be obstructing traffic, we usually charge a fine of Rs 300 which they are willing to pay, only to return to the same spot again. The profit they make from a bustling place like this is hard to resist. When they move on to the carriageway that’s meant only for vehicles, they become a nusiance. We must put up barricades as a preventive, but unless the fine amount increases, nothing can be helped,” said a senior police official from the Hyderabad Police. “This is a regular feature at Charminar, Koti and Abids among other places. A combination of vehicles and fruit sellers will only add to traffic distress,” he said.
