Vice-President's shuttle to Hyderabad triggers traffic chaos

Hyderabad: In a span of three months, Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu has visited Hyderabad eight times and has travelled to a variety of functions mostly at peak hours. He has left in his trail massive traffic jams on arterial roads.

Mr Naidu lands at the Begumpet airport, and drives down to his Banjara Hills residence. This route falls on the most important road in the city, and the resultant jam takes hours to ease.

Hapless travellers are taking to social media to vent their grievances.

Mr Khalid Hasan posted on Twitter: “Please declare a public holiday for all schools, colleges and offices on the VIP routes to avoid any inconvenience to the dignitary (sic)”. Mr Neeraj Dark wrote: “We should stop all this nuisance of VIP culture. Why should normal public suffer (sic).”

Dengal surgeon Vijilesh posted: “Why does this Vice President have to travel to the busiest areas in peak traffic timings, throwing the entire city into multi hour jams which the traffic cops have no competence in managing (sic).”

Mr M. Lokesh Kumar, who got stuck when the traffic was stopped to allow Mr Naidu’s convoy, said, “Our bosses would not bother nor consider if we say we are late because of the VPs visit to the city. How do we have to explain them (sic)?”

To illustrate the problems, on his previous visit, Mr Naidu travelled from his residence at Road No 12, Banjara Hills, to the Koti Women’s College for its convocation. 

To allow his convoy, police blocked the road between 9.20 am and 10.05 am. The Vice President returned to his residence by noon, according to inputs provided by the traffic police.

The chaos this caused can be guaged from the alerts posted by the traffic police in its social media account to alert commuters

9:30 am: Slow movement of traffic from NMDC Masab Tank towards Mahaveer Hospital.

9:55 am: Slow movement of traffic from Taj Krishna, Sakshi Publications, Care Hospital, Karachi Bakery towards Road No 1/12.

10.45 am: Slow movement of traffic from Banjara Hills Starbucks, BVB Junction, Journalist Colony towards Road No 45.

12:25 am: Slow movement of traffic from NFCL, NIMS hospital towards GVK One.”

A traffic police official said, “When the VIP convoy passes through our jurisdiction, it takes half a day to bring the traffic back to normalcy during peak hours.”