Highways Near Warangal, Karimnagar, Jangaon, Manthani Turn Deadly

The stretch between Hasanparthy and Huzurabad, particularly near Seethampeta Cross and the outskirts of Elkathurthy village, is considered a death zone due to its sharp, blind curves. Police said speeding and driver negligence on these narrow, bending sections are major contributors to crashes.

The delayed bypass work at Champak Hills on the Jangaon-Siddipet Highway has left the road filled with loose soil and deep potholes, making it especially dangerous after rain. The risky U-turn near a wine shop at Pembarthi on the Warangal-Hyderabad highway is another critical accident hotspot.

In Jangaon district, the Station Ghanpur highway alone has recorded 10 deaths and 20 accidents this year. At Bachannapet bypass, land disputes have left the old road severely damaged, with potholes several metres wide, causing vehicles to lose control and endangering nearby shops.

Several roads in the Manthani area have also become major accident-prone zones. The most dangerous spot is the sharp junction where roads from Manthani town, Gangapuri, Mutharam, and Peddapalli meet. Hundreds of vehicles pass through this point daily, making the risk extremely high.

This stretch has seen multiple recent fatalities. In one incident, a young man riding a bike from Boinpeta died on the spot after colliding with a tractor near Gangapuri. In another, two youths from Mutharam riding a bike were hit by a lorry, one died instantly and the other suffered grievous injuries. An RTC bus accident left one person with a broken leg, and on November 4, a man returning home from work was severely injured after being hit by a sand lorry.

The problem extends beyond a single location. Other known accident spots in Manthani constituency include the old petrol pump area in Manthani town and the main junction connecting roads to Manthani, Kataram, and Soorayyapally. Earlier this year, in Elkathurthy mandal of Hanamkonda district, a car carrying seven family members to the Vemulawada temple was hit by a lorry, killing four on the spot and another later. Near Seethampet Cross in Hasanparthy mandal, two brothers died when their scooter was struck by an RTC bus.

Locals alleged that despite the clear dangers, and despite ministers and senior officials frequently travelling these routes, concrete preventive action is still missing. They said unchecked overloading by inter-state vehicles, due to weak RTC monitoring, is worsening the situation on these already deadly stretches.

CPM district leader Budidha Ganesh sharply criticised the authorities for ignoring the crisis despite repeated fatalities. He urged immediate, strict measures to prevent further deaths and demanded that all departments fix damaged roads, correct faulty designs such as unmarked sharp turns and unsafe bridge approaches, and install proper safety systems before more lives are lost.