The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Imlibun, a picture of chaos

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Thursday, Feb 26, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Imlibun, a picture of chaos

S. Sandeep Kumar

Frequent traffic jams cause inconvenience to commuters

With only one entrance to MGBS, traffic on Gowliguda-Afzalgunj stretch goes haywire
Situation worsens during weekends and festive seasons, when the RTC operates specials

Perennial problem: Traffic jams have become a daily affair at the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station.

Hyderabad: A serpentine line of buses, two-wheelers criss-crossing each other and four-wheelers honking incessantly, fighting for the limited space. This is the chaotic situation that welcomes visitors at the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) everyday, particularly during nights.

More than long waiting hours at ticket counters, commuters at the MGBS these days are worried over the frequent traffic jams on the station premises, especially on the entrance bridge from Gowliguda-end.

Traffic in a tailspin

With the RTC operating only one entrance to the MGBS, traffic on the Gowliguda- Afzalgunj stretch literally goes haywire. Nearly 2,800 buses enter the MGBS daily carrying over 80,000 passengers and with no other alternative entrance, two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws along with RTC buses are forced to use the only entrance bridge and as a result traffic jams are inevitable on the stretch, says an RTC official. The situation worsens during weekends and festive seasons, when the RTC operates special buses. So much so, vehicles stuck in traffic jams stretch almost up to Putlibowli crossroads and Salarjung bridge.

It is not just commuters and visitors who are vexed due to the frequent traffic jams at the station premises, even RTC drivers are a worried lot.

“We cruise along well from Kurnool in four hours but it takes nearly 30 minutes to enter MGBS from Salarjung bridge. Owing to these traffic jams, there is not much of time for us to take rest,” says a driver from Kurnool RTC depot.

Buses diverted

As an alternate measure to ease traffic congestion, RTC authorities claim that 100-odd buses plying towards Vijayawada from ECIL crossroads and Kukatpally are being diverted through Chaderghat without a halt at MGBS.

This apart, requests were made to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation to allow entry of buses from the Shivaji statue end on Salarjung bridge to avoid traffic snarls, said APSRTC Ranga Reddy Regional Manager Ravindra Babu.

On an average, 500 buses from Kadapa, Kurnool and Mahabubnagar districts enter the MGBS via Gowliguda everyday.

If the entrance from Shivaji statue end is opened it would ease the traffic flow on the Afzalgunj stretch, he explained.

GHMC Additional Commissioner (Traffic and Transportation) Subba Rao said a study will be conducted on the feasibility of allowing the buses and a decision would be taken shortly.

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