HYDERABAD: Motorists traveling via Patny crossroads in Secunderabad were in for a pleasant surprise on Sunday, thanks to an initiative of the Mahankali traffic police and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation(GHMC). On a day when the year's highest temperature was recorded in the city, they could let a sigh of relief as a canopy of green cloth was tied over a portion of the road adjoining the traffic signal to provide shade from the scorching sun to motorists on SD Road near Mahboob College and on Rashtrapati Road.
When contacted Mahankali traffic police inspector R Satyanarayana Raju said, "In some cities like Pune and Bengaluru, especially one must have observed that a canopy of green cloth is erected to provide shade to motorists from the sun. In the Town Vending Committee meeting that is participated by the traffic police, GHMC and other stakeholders, we suggested that such an initiative can be taken up here as well. Our higher ups and the GHMC agreed to it and in coordination with them we took up this initiative."
More such canopies might come up across Hyd
Mahankali traffic inspector Raju said, "Already many people have expressed happiness over the initiative. With temperatures increasing every day in the city, the canopy will provide motorists some relief. We might erect some more such canopies in other traffic junctions. Such canopies might pop up in other parts of the city as well." Already one such canopy has been erected at a traffic junction near Kompally.
It may also be mentioned here that a picture of such an arrangement of a group of motorists from Kurnool waiting underneath a canopy at a traffic junction has been viral on Twitter since past few weeks. Many Hyderabadis on Twitter have been sharing the picture and requesting the concerned authorities to take up similar initiative in Hyderabad.