Octopus personnel told to keep off Outer Ring Road

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority has written a letter to the director-general of Octopus, asking him to bar the police personnel under him from using the Outer Ring Road for physical fitness training exercises as it is an access controlled expressway.

Since some days around 100 Octopus personnel have been using the highway for their morning drills. When asked by a few people around, they said that they had sought the permission of the HMDA authorities. But they hadn't done so.

Suresh Raju, a member of the public who spotted the Octopus team, said, “On Tuesday morning, I noticed around 100 personnel of the Octopus jogging on the ring road carrying their rifles. They were exercising on the hard ground and some were on the carriageway of the ring road as well. I stopped to enquire as to why they were jogging on the ring road which does not permit two and three wheelers as the specified speed limit is 120 km/hr. They told me that they were conducting routine exercises with permission from the HMDA.

“The police personnel were jogging with boots on the hard surface which can damage their legs. They were also facing a threat to their lives from speeding vehicles. The hard ground is for vehicles to pull over in emergencies, not for walking or jogging. How can the HMDA permit such activities on the ring road?” asked Mr Raju’s companion.

Following a complaint, the ORR department of the HMDA, wrote to the Octopus director-general stating, “The ORR is an access controlled expressway, where vehicles will be travelling at high speed. Pedestrian movement is strictly prohibited on this highway. Doing exercises on Outer Ring Road will be dangerous for the police team. It will also distract motorists leading to fatal accidents. The Outer Ring Road is not meant for such activities.”

The Octopus director-general has not yet responded to the letter.