Hyderabad City Falls On Its Knees Due To CM KCR's Road Trip

HYDERABAD: On Monday during rush hour, the police blocked several busy arterial roads and intersections to make way for the massive convoy of more than 600 cars led by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao as it travelled to Pandharpur in Maharashtra. These areas include Erragadda, Kukatpally, and Patancheru.

While commuters reported they got stuck on the roads in the rain, locals grumbled they couldn't go along the route to visit temples, and sellers claimed the limitations had a significant negative impact on sales.

Given the size of the convoy and its travel at a busy time, a senior traffic police officer responded that security concerns prevented the issue of a warning.

The Chief Minister's convoy departed Pragathi Bhavan at 9.45 am, according to a senior city traffic police officer, and arrived at Erragadda, at the edge of the city's jurisdiction, in 10 minutes. But, cops had earlier blocked traffic, causing passengers great suffering.

The 600-vehicle convoy, however, was so large that it backed up traffic for more than an hour at more than 24 junctions, many subjunctions, alternate roads, Metro stations, and parallel roads.

Up till the convoy arrived in Erragadda, traffic was blocked on both sides of the Panjagutta intersection, from Lakdikapul and Khairatabad to Erramanzil.

"To make the U-turn from the Taj Krishna route that leads to the Raj Bhavan, I had to wait for more than an hour. My target was Kukatpally, so I had to take a different path and go through Sanathnagar to get there. I arrived at my officer two hours late, "said B.V. Prasad, a resident of Vijaynagar Colony and a software developer.

Until the convoy arrived in Kukatpally, pedestrians claimed they were also prohibited from going to local shops, temples, and salons.

At the interchange hub station at Ameerpet, Metro Rail passengers were stranded. People using the metro stations in Erramanzil, Panjagutta, Sanathnagar, and Moosapet reported delays from having to wait a long time to cross intersections to get to their destinations.

"Just to cross the street from the station, we had to wait more than 20 minutes at the station. I was fortunate that my principal was aware of the Chief Minister's event and did not reprimand me for arriving late "Schoolteacher G. Sirija stated.

At Erragadda, Moosapet, and Sanathnagar, where more than 400 fruit and vegetable sellers, small kiosk owners, and people selling furniture on the sides of the road typically open their stores by 5.30 am, they were not permitted to do so until the caravan passed.

"It's our busiest time. Several hospitals are nearby, and thousands of people buy fruits from our pushcarts every day. We were informed that the Chief Minister is passing through and were sternly forbidden from operating, "Mohammed Saleem stated, who

"Our daily income is only about 600 to 800. In the morning, business is brisk. Who will cover our losses? Almost 100 fruit merchants, like myself, rely on their income to support their families. We're all losing money right now, and we'll all have to sell the same fruits the next day "Salim stated.

At Erragadda, restaurant owner Jagdish Tiwari said: "When I arrived to open my tiffin shop at 6.30 am, my friend informed me that the police had ordered businesses to open only after 11 am. I ask the government to find alternatives so that my life and the lives of the hundreds of other impoverished people who depend on my daily income are not harmed."

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Delivering goods for a food app aggregator, Shiva Chandra said: "I was snarled up in the traffic gridlock at the Mata Temple in Moosapet for more than 50 minutes. Despite the fact that she had to be at her office by 10 am and had placed the order at 9 am, the client ultimately decided to cancel the order. Orders that are not delivered on time or that are cancelled by the customer are removed from our earnings."

The police officers downplayed the problems of the locals, saying they only had control of the roadways for a brief period of time. Rahul Hegde, DCP (traffic), stated that the convoy left Pragathi Bhavan at 9.45 am and cleared Erragadda in about 10 minutes.

According to a different police officer who asked to remain unnamed, "Officers taking control of the highways 10 to 20 minutes before the convoy starts causes problems for commuters during VIP movements."

The officer said that for the Chief Minister's bandobast on Monday, 126 traffic personnel up to the level of additional commissioner were deployed.

"Timings alter if it's a VVIP. We do not intend to delay anything (the public). The in-charge officer will be held accountable in any mishap or unfavourable event that affects the convoy, not the general public "the policeman stated.

The policeman claimed that traffic officers are skilled at unclogging congestion. He remarked, "Even our home guard can clear traffic congestion in a matter of minutes.

According to a former traffic police officer: "In essence, the traffic police ensure that there is a steady flow for commuters, but because of protocol, they are also powerless during VIP times. Due to the city's high traffic density, a traffic delay lasting merely five minutes on one of its key highways will cause congestion throughout the entire city."