HYDERABAD: The incident in which an Aston Martin mowed down sales executive Bharati Mukhi has once again brought focus to the growing pedestrian safety risks in Hyderabad and Cyberabad, where a total of 789 pedestrian deaths were recorded in 2024 and 2025.
The Hyderabad Commissionerate recorded 118 pedestrian deaths in 2024 and 105 in 2025. Cyberabad reported a significantly higher number, with 281 deaths in 2024 and 285 in 2025.
Road safety expert and founder of the Indian Federation of Road Safety, an NGO, Vinod Kanumala attributed the deaths to inadequate pedestrian infrastructure, particularly the lack of continuous footpaths and safe road-crossing facilities.
“There isn’t a single one-kilometre stretch of footpath for pedestrians in Hyderabad,” Kanumala told TNIE. He alleged that the government continued to focus on infrastructure for vehicles while neglecting facilities for pedestrians.
Kanumala also questioned the implementation of road-safety measures mandated by the Supreme Court and its Committee on Road Safety. Under the directions, state authorities and transport departments are required to submit quarterly action reports and data on traffic violations, licence suspensions and safety drives to the committee. States are also required to establish district road safety committees, chaired by district magistrates, to periodically review accident data, identify black spots and assess enforcement measures.
Kanumala said these reviews had failed to translate into meaningful action on the ground.
Meanwhile, police said efforts were being made to improve pedestrian safety. Speaking to TNIE on Friday, Naveen Reddy, ACP, LB Nagar traffic police, said more foot-over bridges were being constructed, including ones equipped with elevators to improve accessibility for senior citizens.
“The traffic police are also working closely with the GHMC to clear encroachments from footpaths and restore pedestrian space,” Naveen said.
