As a large number of Hyderabad residents left for their hometowns to celebrate Dussehra, the traffic on the national highways has increased tremendously. Vehicles have been pouring in especially on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada national highway since Saturday morning. As a result, vehicles have lined up for kilometers at the Pantangi toll plaza in Choutuppal mandal of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district. While

travel began from Friday evening in the backdrop of the festive holidays, the traffic congestion intensified on Saturday morning. The areas surrounding the toll plaza were crowded with vehicles heading towards Vijayawada. Passengers are expressing their concern that it is taking hours to cross the toll gate, which should be crossed in a few minutes on normal days. Due to this, motorists are facing serious problems.

On the other hand, the ongoing construction work of a flyover at Choutuppal on the same route has become an additional obstacle to traffic. As all vehicles have to move slowly via the service road due to the construction work, this is another major reason for the vehicles to be stuck.

Authorities have rushed to the scene to bring the situation under control and have deployed additional personnel to decongest the toll plaza. Some vehicles are being diverted to alternate routes to clear the traffic jam. However, traffic is moving slowly due to heavy traffic. Authorities expect the congestion to continue until the festive season is over.