Post-festival return rush sees over 50,000 vehicles pass through Panthangi toll plaza, 31,583 head towards Hyderabad

The post-Dasara return rush brought a sharp surge in traffic towards Hyderabad on the Vijayawada National Highway (NH-65), with an average of 22 vehicles crossing the Panthangi toll plaza towards the city every minute on Wednesday (October 21). Of the 50,584 vehicles recorded at the toll plaza, 31,583 were Hyderabad-bound, accounting for over 62% of the total traffic.

According to figures obtained from the toll plaza’s control room, 50,584 vehicles crossed Panthangi in both directions on Wednesday, including 31,583 towards Hyderabad and 19,001 towards Vijayawada. The movement continued on Thursday, with 39,780 crossings recorded by 7 p.m., of which 24,222 were Hyderabad-bound and 15,558 were travelling towards Vijayawada.

The latest figures indicate that the return journey following the Dasara and Bathukamma festivities has brought traffic volumes close to those recorded during the holiday exodus from Hyderabad last week.

The Hyderabad-bound traffic witnessed a particularly sharp increase within 24 hours, rising from 13,747 vehicles on Tuesday (October 20) to 31,583 on Wednesday, a jump of nearly 130%. The figures indicate a clear reversal in traffic movement following the festivities, with vehicles returning towards Hyderabad considerably outnumbering those travelling towards Vijayawada.

The toll plaza had registered 52,000 vehicle crossings on October 17, when thousands of people travelled out of the city for the festivities. Wednesday’s count was only 2,416 vehicles fewer, a difference of approximately 4.6%, indicating that vehicular movement remained nearly as high during the return period.

According to an officer from the toll plaza’s control room, Panthangi ordinarily handles between 30,000 and 35,000 vehicles daily. Wednesday’s volume was therefore approximately 42% to 65% higher than the usual daily traffic.

The increased movement was also reflected on roads leading into Hyderabad. Traffic congestion was reported around Dilsukhnagar on Thursday morning, where RTC buses, private cars and other vehicles were caught in slow-moving traffic as passengers returned to the city.

Increased vehicular movement was also reported around Uppal, another major entry point for traffic arriving from the Warangal and eastern corridors.

Meanwhile, motorists travelling along NH-65 continued to encounter bottlenecks near Choutuppal, Dandu Malkapur and Chityala, where ongoing highway construction and restricted road space slowed movement.

To accommodate the increased movement towards Hyderabad, 10 toll collection booths were reportedly opened for Hyderabad-bound vehicles at Panthangi.

Elsewhere in the city, traffic movement around Tank Bund and Necklace Road was affected by restrictions imposed for Durga idol immersion processions. Diversions around the Secretariat, Telangana Thalli flyover and Lower Tank Bund added to the traffic disruptions.

Separate roadworks near Pillar No. 37 of the PVNR Expressway also necessitated diversions around Mehdipatnam and Nanal Nagar, with restrictions scheduled to remain in force until Thursday.

By Thursday evening, Hyderabad-bound vehicles continued to account for the majority of crossings at Panthangi, making up nearly 61% of the 39,780 vehicles recorded until 7 p.m. With the final count for the day awaited, the direction-wise figures indicate that the return movement following the festival holidays remained substantial along NH-65.