Dasara return rush brings traffic to a crawl on Hyderabad roads

Dasara return traffic caused congestion on major highways and arterial roads in Hyderabad on Thursday. Queues formed on the Vijayawada–Hyderabad highway, while LB Nagar and Dilsukhnagar witnessed heavy traffic. Durga idol immersion arrangements also contributed to congestion in parts of the city.

Hyderabad: Traffic congestion was reported on major highways leading to the city and other arterial roads in parts of the city on Thursday as people who had travelled to their native places for the Dasara vacation started returning ahead of the reopening of educational institutions.

The Vijayawada–Hyderabad National Highway witnessed slow-moving traffic, with vehicles queuing up from Mangalpally towards the Outer Ring Road (ORR) since the early hours of the day.

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Heavy traffic was also reported on the Nagpur, Mumbai and Warangal highways as commuters returned from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana districts, including Medak, Siddipet and Sangareddy.

In the city, LB Nagar and Dilsukhnagar witnessed heavy traffic as RTC and private buses, along with other vehicles, arrived in large numbers. The congestion caused inconvenience to passengers, many of whom struggled to reach their destinations on time. Traffic police were deployed to regulate vehicle movement at all important junctions in anticipation of the situation.

Meanwhile, the immersion of Goddess Durga idols at Tank Bund and surrounding areas also contributed to traffic congestion. Restrictions had been imposed in parts of the city in connection with the immersion processions.

Hyderabad Police advised passengers travelling to Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) to get down at Dilsukhnagar and make alternative arrangements wherever necessary.

With colleges scheduled to reopen on Thursday and schools on Friday, the return of hundreds of commuters added to the traffic pressure on city-bound routes.

It is learnt that the traffic restrictions imposed for the immersion arrangements had been lifted, even as traffic movement remained slow on some stretches.