Traffic chaos as hawkers invade bus stops at Erragadda

Hyderabad: Commuters and pedestrians at Erragadda have to negotiate their way between hawkers and vehicles at U-turns. Bus stops are being used by hawkers, and RTC buses stop on the roads, blocking traffic.

Whenever there is a traffic jam, police personnel rush to clear it but do not address the root cause of the problem. Road safety activist Satya Hari said in a tweet, “Erragadda bus stop is in a pathetic state. Dirt piled up and encroached by furniture vendors. Buses stop in the middle of road while vehicles taking U-turn choke traffic. Meanwhile, wrong routers happily squeeze in-between”.

Commuters allege that this problem has existed for long. Mr K. Srinivas, a daily commuter, said, “Only once you pass the bottleneck do you realise it was caused by a bus stopping in the middle of the road. A permanent solution is needed.”

Hawkers say they have been doing business for ages. Mr Mohammad Anwar, a hawker, said, “I have been selling here for four decades when this area was not developed. Several hawkers have left the place.”

Deputy Mayor Baba Fasiuddin, who represents the ward, said, “As per the street vending policy we will be relocating the vendors once the identity cards are issued and an alternative site provided.”

Even the footpaths developed by the Hyderabad Metro Rail have been encroached. Metro Rail managing director N.V.S. Reddy said, “The GHMC is working on it, once they are ready we will further develop the place.”