As families reunite to celebrate the Sankranti harvest festival, the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway experienced significant traffic congestion on Friday. Thousands of individuals journeying to their native places for the festivities encountered delays, with cars, buses, and other vehicles lining up at toll plazas. Authorities implemented special measures to alleviate the traffic situation.
A surge in traffic was observed at toll plazas connecting Andhra Pradesh from Hyderabad, particularly at Keesara and Chillakallu. Vehicles queued for extended periods, causing delays in crossing the toll booths. Officials reported that the Fast Tag facility contributed to the smooth flow of traffic through the toll plazas. The toll plaza, which typically handles around 30,000 vehicles daily, is expected to witness double the usual traffic volume due to the Sankranti rush.
Railway and bus stations also experienced high passenger volumes as individuals from both Telugu states embarked on journeys to their respective destinations. With Sankranti holidays declared for all educational institutions, families were seen preparing to join their loved ones in their native places for the festival.
To accommodate the increased demand, special trains and buses are being operated from Vijayawada and Hyderabad to various destinations in both states. The number of travellers is anticipated to rise significantly over the next two days.
APSRTC is facilitating a total of 6,795 special bus services at regular fares, including 3,570 pre-Sankranti bus services.
These services cover routes from Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, and Tirupati. An additional 3,225 bus services will be operated post-festival.
The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) has announced the operation of 4,484 special buses for travellers heading to their hometowns within the state and neighbouring states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
APSRTC MD Ch D Tirumala Rao assured that RTC would deploy staff at bus stops in Hyderabad to assist passengers, with 24×7 information available through the helpline numbers 0866-257005 and 149 call centres.
G Rakesh Kumar, a software employee from Rajahmundry, praised the comfort and safety of RTC travel. He shared that he booked tickets for his family from Hyderabad to Rajahmundry as soon as the special bus services were announced, emphasizing that private operators’ flexible pricing is burdensome for common people.
