Hyderabad: Sankranti travel rush surged on Saturday as school holidays and a long weekend pushed thousands to leave the city for their native places.
Families travelled in large numbers to celebrate the festival with parents and relatives. As a result, passenger movement rose sharply across major transport hubs in Hyderabad.
Crowds filled JBS Bus Station and MGBS Bus Station throughout the day. Travellers also packed Secunderabad Railway Station, Kacheguda Railway Station, and Charlapalli Railway Station.
RTC officials reported higher passenger numbers compared to Friday. They said crowds would increase further by evening and continue over the next two days. At the same time, private travel buses ran full, forcing passengers to wait near Dilsukhnagar and LB Nagar for tickets.
Sankranti travel rush triggers traffic jams on highways
The Sankranti travel rush also choked major highways leading out of Hyderabad. Long vehicle queues formed at Pantangi Toll Plaza and Keesara Toll Plaza.
On National Highway 65, vehicles crawled near the Nandigama Y-junction. Incomplete approach road works near an underpass diverted traffic onto service roads. Potholes and slow movement caused traffic jams stretching several kilometres.
Similar congestion occurred near Keesara toll plaza in Kanchikacherla mandal. From Saturday morning, continuous festival-bound traffic clogged the highway. Vehicles also backed up for kilometres at Choutuppal and Pantangi toll plazas.
Due to ongoing construction works, traffic police advised motorists heading towards Guntur, Macherla, Addanki, Ongole, and Nellore to avoid the Vijayawada highway. Instead, they asked drivers to use the Nagarjuna Sagar route.
Officials further advised ORR users to avoid the Bongulur gate exit. They suggested alternate internal routes for smoother travel. Drivers bound for Khammam and Vijayawada were advised to go via Bhuvanagiri. Police said motorists could reach Chityala through Bhuvanagiri and Ramannapeta, then proceed via Narketpally to cut delays.