Heavy traffic jams were witnessed in several areas of the city on Thursday in view of the oath-taking ceremony of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at LB Stadium.
Traffic jam was witnessed for a long duration at Nampally, Lakdikapul, Abid Road, Koti, Narayanguda, Himayatnagar, Banjara Hills, Masab Tank, Somajiguda and Khairatabad.
The traffic police who were deployed to manage the traffic expressed their helplessness as thousands of people arrived in four wheelers from around the State to witness the swearing in ceremony.
Senior traffic police officials were seen issuing directions to the traffic police personnel on their internal communication VHF sets. However, the ground realities were quite different with people just abandoning their vehicles and leaving for the venue in a hurry.
After the program, the traffic police allowed the VVIP’s and VIPs to move to their destinations and the attendees of the program were forced to stop for about half an hour.
At
several places ambulances were seen stuck in the traffic grid and the drivers except blaring the emergency sirens could not do anything. In fact, the TSRTC buses were diverted on other alternative narrow roads like the Nampally Ek Minar Masjid- Bazar Guard, Vijaynagar colony, Masab Tank towards Mehdipatnam or Banjara Hills.
“It took me nearly an hour to reach Banjara Hills from Nampally. Bumper to bumper traffic is witnessed on the Nampally- Vijayanagar colony road, the main road at AC Guards is completely blocked,” complained Hrithik, a medical executive.
The traffic police as part of the security ‘bandobast’ had issued an advisory to the public informing about traffic slow down and jams around the L. B Stadium. However, the traffic congestion extended up to Mehdipatnam, Punjagutta, Masab Tank, Nampally, Abid Road junction, Ram Koti, King Kothi etc.
“Despite arrangements it had happened because of the movement of VVIP’s and other important dignitaries on the routes leading to LB Stadium,” said an official of traffic police.