Hyderabad Police plan one-way system to ease Lakdi-ka-Pul traffic

Hyderabad Commissioner of Police VC Sajjanar said that a one-way system on the Lakdi-ka-Pul stretch will first be tried on a trial basis, with vehicles diverted via HDFC, the old Saifabad Police Station and Iqbal Minar.

Hyderabad: Motorists using the congested Lakdi-ka-Pul stretch could soon have to take longer, redirected routes, as Hyderabad Traffic Police work on a new one-way system to keep vehicles moving without stopping.

Commissioner of Police (CP) VC Sajjanar rode a motorcycle through the area on Friday, November 6, to check road conditions and judge whether the plan is workable, according to a police press note. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) D Joel Davis and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Avinash Kumar accompanied him.

The team inspected the stretch around Dwaraka Hotel, the old Saifabad Police Station, HDFC, Iqbal Minar, Ravindra Bharathi, the Lakdi-ka-Pul crossroads and the Old Control Room junction. Sajjanar made several recommendations aimed at preventing accidents and letting traffic flow without halts, police said.

Proposed diversions

Under the proposal, vehicles travelling from the Old Control Room towards Secunderabad via Ravindra Bharathi and Iqbal Minar will not be allowed to go straight through from Ravindra Bharathi. They will instead be sent via HDFC, the old Saifabad Police Station, Iqbal Minar and the Secretariat junction.

Vehicles heading from Nirankari Junction to the Old Control Room will not be allowed to go directly to the HDFC junction. They will be diverted at the old Saifabad Police Station, turn right at Iqbal Minar and reach the Old Control Room via Ravindra Bharathi.

Routes have also been finalised for traffic from the Secretariat junction and the Telangana Talli flyover heading towards the old Saifabad Police Station. These vehicles will go from Iqbal Minar towards Ravindra Bharathi, take a U-turn at the Old Control Room, and reach the old Saifabad Police Station via Assembly Gate No. 3, Ravindra Bharathi and HDFC.

Trial run first

Sajjanar said that a coordination meeting would soon be held with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the water board, the electricity department and other agencies to finalise the system. It will be introduced on a trial basis first to ensure the public is not inconvenienced, and a decision on making it permanent will follow, he said.

He added that police are also considering one-way systems in other congested parts of the city, and are consulting experts to manage traffic scientifically. He appealed to motorists to cooperate with the police.

Extra lane at KBR Park

After Lakdi-ka-Pul, the Commissioner rode the entire KBR Park route, where a one-way system is already in place. He said that another traffic lane would be added alongside the existing one-way route to handle growing congestion.

Underground pipelines, electricity poles and other utilities that obstruct construction of the additional lane will be relocated on a war footing, Sajjanar said. The traffic department, GHMC and construction agencies are working together on the project, he added.