NALGONDA: In anticipation of the heavy Sankranti holiday rush, special arrangements have been made at the Panthangi and Korlapadu toll plazas on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada NH 65, and at the Madugulapally toll plaza on the Narketpally-Addanki highway, to minimise inconvenience to the public.
Every year, on the eve of Sankranti, people travel to their native villages and towns to celebrate the festival in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The rush is so intense that the highways become congested, and the toll plazas turn into bottlenecks.
The rush begins on January 11, and it can be quite a challenge. Traffic, at times, comes to a standstill for long periods or slows to a crawl, testing the patience of both drivers and passengers.
To reduce congestion, an additional 30 staff members have been posted at each toll plaza to ensure the swift movement of traffic.
In addition, heavy-duty cranes, ambulances, and medical staff are being stationed at intervals of every 20 km in case of any untoward incidents. This will allow injured passengers to be quickly transported to hospitals. The cranes will be used to clear vehicles involved in accidents from the road, ensuring the free flow of traffic.
At Panthangi, there are 16 toll booths, 10 of which are earmarked for vehicles heading towards Vijayawada, and six for those travelling towards Hyderabad.
At Korlapadu, there are 12 booths, seven of which will be used for Vijayawada-bound traffic, and five for traffic heading towards Hyderabad.
At Madugulapally, there are 10 booths, six of which will be used for vehicles bound for Vijayawada, and the remaining for those heading towards Hyderabad. Plaza organisers expect more than 40,000 vehicles to pass through these plazas daily.