HYDERABAD: A freak mishap during the early hours of Wednesday resulted in major traffic disruption along one of Hyderabad’s busiest major thoroughfares, Masab Tank and Mehdipatnam.
The incident, caused by oil spills from four drums near Masab Tank, brought vehicles to a standstill for several hours, causing massive traffic jams. The incident occurred when a truck, laden with oil drums swayed as it negotiated the gradient of the flyover.
The tilt resulted in four large oil drums tumbling from the truck. The spillage that followed covered the road near NMDC, catching motorists off guard and turning the surface into a treacherously slippery one. This led to skidding and multiple accidents as drivers struggled to navigate the slick road.
The ripple effect of the oil spill was felt throughout Masab Tank, Mehdipatnam, and surrounding areas, resulting in a chain reaction of traffic congestion. Motorists passing through the affected stretch of road faced difficulty as their vehicles skidded, leading to minor injuries to many. Efforts of numerous youths who attempted to remove their vehicles from the middle of the narrow flyover were hindered by the slippery road conditions.
Each of the four drums had a capacity of 800 litres, and traffic police worked to clear the containers from the road, restoring some normalcy. However, the aftermath of the oil spill continued to wreak havoc on the flow of vehicles in Masab Tank, Mehdipatnam, and nearby areas, leaving commuters trapped in prolonged traffic jams.
The Enforcement Vigilance and Disaster Management (EVDM), a wing of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), and traffic personnel reached the scene to take remedial measures.
HMC teams were dispatched from various locations, bringing loaded sand to sprinkle on the slippery road. By covering the affected area with sand, the traffic police restored the flow of vehicles.
However, it took approximately four hours of dedicated efforts by the traffic police and EVDM to clear the congestion, necessitating the deployment of additional traffic cops to manage the situation effectively.
GHMC officials said that the sand will be removed from the road later in the evening.