Telangana State is home to 23 National Highways, and 1,576 kilometres of State Highways, apart from a plethora of district roads. Unfortunately, these 5,627 kilometres of National Highways fit the cliche, ‘Highway to Hell’, perfectly well, owing to the number of accidents and deaths they have been witnessing over the years.
The years 2016 to 2018 saw a marginal decrease in road accidents along highways in State; the death rate, however, continued to remain high during this period. While the percentage of road accidents decreased by 1.5 per cent in 2016-2017, the same of road accident fatalities increased by 9.73 per cent. Meanwhile, the Department of Traffic and Road Safety (DTRS), that exclusively deals with matters relating to road safety, has proposed to set up new police stations on highways to prevent road accidents. It is yet to be seen how far these measures would go to keep the highways safe.
Adilabad
The National Highway 44, that stretches from Nirmal to the border of Painganga River, connects the northern and southern ends of Adilabad district. Unfortunately, poor lighting is a major concern along this highway. There is a serious dearth of approach roads too, which puts lives of many people residing in nearby villages at risk as they use the road on a daily basis. In fact, Bhattisavargam village, which is located just a few kilometres from the highway, has developed its own approach road using gravel.
Warangal
The National Highway 163 between Warangal and Hyderabad, is as prone to accidents as any other rocky road. As over 70 percent of the National Highway is a single lane, accidents are quite common here. In addition to this, the ongoing works to convert NH-163 into a four-lane highway has added to the woes of commuters, as it has reduced the width of the road. As per police records, in 2018 about 82 accidents occurred on NH 163 involving trucks, especially those carrying sand. Following the rise in number of accidents, the Bhupalpally and Mulugu police have begun regulating them by imposing a speed limit. Over 1,500 trucks carry sand to Kaleshwaram project sites on a daily basis through the NH.
Nizamabad
National Highway 44 passing through the erstwhile Nizamabad covers more than 150 km within the district. Police officials opine that accidents mostly occur at places where approach roads meet the National Highway. This was also observed by police patrolling units in all areas along the highway. Around 1000 km of the NH 63 from Nizamabad to Jagadalpur also passes through the district. Some parts of the road are under construction, slowing down traffic movement in addition to increasing risks of accidents.
Nalgonda
There is only one national highway that passes though erstwhile Nalgonda district. It runs between Hyderabad and Vijayawada. Thousands of people use it everyday, as it an arterial road that connects the two Telugu sibling States. Accidents are common place. Heavy vehicles, parked haphazardly on the side of the roads, make the life of motorists miserable. At toll plazas, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has set up separate parking spots for them, but truck drivers rarely use them
Khammam
The stretch of national highways from Ibrahimpatnam to Bhadrachalam, and from Suryapet to Aswaraopet, have become death traps. Heavy vehicles transporting coal from open cast mines of Kistram village to Kothagudem are a serious cause for concern. More than 200 people were killed in road accidents on the road to Aswaraopet, which leads into the neighbouring State of Andhra Pradesh. Signs asking motorists to stick to speed limits are set up, however people rarely pay attention to them.
Sangareddy
People of the State are wary of travelling on NH65, Akola-Nanded highway and the Hyderabad-Gajwel-Siddipet stretch of the Rajiv Rahadari highway. Accidents have been reported here with alarming frequency over the past few years
Mahbubnagar
With the drastic increase in number of vehicles in State, there is an imminent need for expansive roads along the National Highway 44 connecting Bangalore and Hyderabad. That being said, it is important to note that around 300 people die and 2,000 get injured every year in road accidents in erstwhile Mahbubnagar district. This has been confirmed by official sources.
There have been numerous cases of toll plaza mishaps that occur when driver suddenly change the lanes. This points towards the urgent need for the setting up of an effective toll plaza management system by the government.The State government has, in fact, constituted a Cabinet sub-committee to sort the issue out. The panel had announced it would prepare a detailed action plan to prevent accidents. But the report has not seen the light of day as of yet. Further, the NH44 has a black spot for every 1.5 km from Balanagar to Alampur Cross Roads.
The officials concerned have also failed to install speed guns along the highway to prevent vehicles from overspeeding. They had previously set up speed guns at Kothur Cross Roads and Jadcherla during the day. However, for reasons unknown, they have reportedly stopped the practice.
(With inputs from Mouli Mareedu, K Amruth Rao, S Raja Reddy, A Seshacharyulu, B Satyanarayana Reddy, P Krishna, MVK Sastry)