Ganesh immersion escalates traffic gridlock in Hyderabad on Monday

Hyderabad faces traffic congestion on a holiday too. Several trucks carrying Ganesh Idols waited in a long queue leading to immersion site on the banks of Hussainsagar in Hyderabad.

Despite Monday (September 16, 2024) being a holiday for Milad-Un-Nabi, Hyderabad saw significant traffic congestion in various parts of the city during the afternoon and evening. With the Ganesh immersion scheduled for Tuesday (September 17, 2024) traffic is expected to increase from Monday night through Tuesday evening.

While the morning saw relatively smooth traffic at Tank Bund, the situation changed by the afternoon. Due to the ninth day of Ganesh immersion, heavy traffic built up, causing slow-moving vehicles on all roads leading to Tank Bund. The stretch from People’s Plaza to PVNR Marg was especially congested, with large trucks carrying Ganesh idols for immersion. These trucks were lined up bumper-to-bumper, with some carrying devotees who sang devotional songs and played music.

“I left for the office in the morning, taking the route from Tarnaka to Steel Bridge on my way to Banjara Hills, and the roads were mostly empty,” said Ayush, an architectural trainee from Habsiguda. “However, when I returned around 3 p.m., the situation was completely different—Lakdikapul and the Telugu Talli flyover were both jam-packed with traffic.” he said.

At the same time, other parts of the city also experienced traffic as empty trucks and vehicles returned from the immersion process. Slow-moving traffic was reported from AR Petrol Pump, Gun Park, Ravindra Bharathi, and the DGP Office towards Lakdi-ka-Pul. “We started from Adikmet around 10 a.m. for the immersion of a Ganesh idol. Due to the heavy rush, it took us five hours for the immersion, and we only returned around 3 a.m.,” shared Ramesh, a driver who had parked a truck in Tarnaka. A similar situation was observed in other areas where Ganesh immersions were taking place.