Komatireddy orders free passage at toll gates amid Sankranti rush

Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy announced that toll gate operators have been instructed to allow free passage of vehicles during traffic jams at plazas in the Sankranti season.

Hyderabad: Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said instructions had been issued to toll gate operators to allow free passage to vehicles in the event of traffic jams at toll plazas during the Sankranti festive season.

Heavy traffic jams were being witnessed at Panthangi toll plaza and toll operators were directed to open the gates and facilitate free passage of vehicles, he said.

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Speaking to media persons here on Saturday, the R&B Minister said all measures were being taken to ensure smooth flow of traffic during the festive season.

“Last year about nine lakh vehicles shuttled across the two States. This year, we expect nearly 12 lakh vehicles to shuttle back and forth,” Komatireddy Venkat Reddy said.

Last week, the Minister had stirred a political controversy by writing a letter to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, seeking toll exemption for vehicles heading to Vijayawada from Hyderabad. However, there was no response from the Ministry to the appeal.

In the wake of heavy vehicular traffic, special security arrangements were also being made. The Director General of Police had been requested to ensure security for the safety and convenience of motorists, he said.

The Minister further said one ambulance was being arranged for every 20 km on the highways. Cranes were also being deployed at strategic locations to clear vehicles that broke down and disrupted traffic movement, he added, noting that these arrangements would continue till the Telangana border.

Meanwhile, the R&B Minister condemned what he described as false and malicious reports on certain women IAS officers in a section of the media.

“It is not wise to broadcast baseless and false news about women IAS officers. The DGP has been asked to probe these reports and legal action will be taken after a report is submitted,” Venkat Reddy said, adding that there would be no political interference in IAS officers’ appointments or transfers.