Vehicle Restrictions: Heavy Vehicles Banned from Auto Nagar to Maha Nadu Road During Peak Hours

Vijayawada: To regulate vehicular traffic and reduce congestion in the city, the Vijayawada city police have decided to enforce restrictions on the entry of heavy vehicles from Auto Nagar to Maha Nadu Road during peak hours.

The frequent traffic jams and accidents occurring at traffic junctions on this stretch prompted the decision. Heavy vehicles are now barred from entering this road stretch from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to a release issued by NTR district commissioner of police S.V. Raja Sekhara Babu on Saturday.

The department warned that hefty fines would be imposed on drivers violating these restrictions during the designated hours.

NTR District Police Introduce Automated Drone Surveillance

Vijayawada: The NTR district police are set to enhance surveillance in Vijayawada city with the deployment of additional drones under the automated drone surveillance (ADS) programme. This initiative aims to strengthen crime prevention and improve patrolling across all police stations in the city.

NTR district commissioner of police (CP) SV Raja Sekhara Babu stated that the district police would, for the first time, employ drones with pre-assigned waypoints for targeted tracking. These drones will operate automatically, eliminating the need for manual control by operators.

Command control centre in-charge and circle inspector (CI) Hanish explained that drones would be deployed strategically at vulnerable locations, ensuring efficient policing. The city police currently use five drone cameras under the ADS programme, and plans are in place to procure sufficient drones for each of the city’s 28 police stations. Ten new drones have already been acquired and will be distributed to station house officers (SHOs) shortly.

These drones will operate at pre-integrated points, capturing real-time data hourly. The footage will be monitored via the command control centre dashboard, enabling SHOs to respond promptly. Notably, the drones will be exclusively operated by women police personnel, a practice already in place in the city.