Hyderabad: The lack of police presence on the route from Nayapul Bridge to Charminar is causes utter chaos on the road and is a nightmare for commuters.
The traffic police ignores the main spots on this stretch that need their attention and are present only at Madina junction and Gulzar House junction. They are needed at Mir Alam vegetable market and Shehran market, where traffic is heavy.
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A plan to decongest this stretch of road was worked out, with an outer ring road identified and widened. The roads leading from Salar Jung Museum to Charminar via Mir Alam Mandi, and from City College to Charminar via Moosabowli, were widened to give relief to motorists.
But a lot of them continue to use the main road from Madina junction to Charminar to avoid a long detour. The road from Nayapul Bridge to Charminar via Gulzar House is 2 km whereas the alternative is 3.5-4 km.
Mr Mohammed Ehtesham, who runs a bookstall, said, “Traffic has increased, hawkers keep encroaching on the roads and motorists face a lot of problems. Many vehicles enter the Mir Alam vegetable market, where there are also queues of autorickshaws, but not a single policemen is to be seen regulating the traffic here.”
Dr Anand Kumar of Shah Ali Banda, said spots that cause the jams should be identified and policemen should be deployed in those spots rather than only focusing on the junctions.
“The police is doing a good job by towing away vehicles parked in no parking zones, but they should also regulate the traffic at these critical spots as they are the major contributors to traffic jams,” he said.
Mr Mohammed Zubair, a public relations executive, pointed out that autorickshaws are not allowed beyond Gulzar House, “but they are always seen waiting near that junction for customers despite police chasing them away. This is one main reason for the congestion. If the autos and cars are diverted on the outer ring roads and only two-wheelers allowed, then the traffic can be regulated”.
Mr J. Bhadreshwar, assistant commissioner of police, said the police had penalised motorists and hawkers but this did not deter them. “However, we will also try to deploy more policemen at the critical spots,” he added.
