Thousands head home for Sankranthi

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

The Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway continues to be congested with vehicles heading for Sankranthi. The traffic at the Panthangi toll plaza increased suddenly from the early hours of Sunday morning. Due to thousands of vehicles moving simultaneously, traffic came to a standstill for half a kilometer at the Panthangi toll plaza in Yadadri- Bhongir district.

At one point, the traffic jam stretched for a kilometer. Toll plaza operators and police officials stated that despite the implementation of the FASTag system, the sheer volume of vehicles and the failure of some FASTags to scan were causing the kilometer-long traffic jams. Rachakonda police and GMR Toll Plaza staff are working to regulate the flow of traffic.

With a large number of vehicles heading towards Andhra Pradesh, more toll booths have been opened. Cars and other vehicles are moving slowly. At Korlapahad in Kethepally mandal, vehicle drivers faced severe difficulties due to technical problems with the FASTag system.  Toll payments were not being processed properly, causing vehicles to come to a standstill and leading to increased congestion.

Meanwhile, a heavy flow of vehicles continued on National Highway-65. The increased number of vehicles in several areas, coupled with the lack of precautionary measures at highway black spots, has caused concern among motorists.

Drivers are expressing strong frustration over the delays at the toll plaza, the FASTag issues, and the absence of safety measures at highway black spots. They are demanding that the authorities take immediate action.

The staff at the Pantangi toll plaza stated that 70,000 vehicles traveled towards Andhra Pradesh between 6 PM on Saturday and 6 AM on Sunday.