Traffic bottleneck at Gowlidoddi near Hyderabad’s IT corridor cries out for attention – Telangana Today

Hours of daily traffic jams on this stretch of road near Gowlidoddi

Published date – July 22, 2024, 11:42 PM


Traffic bottleneck at Gowlidoddi near Hyderabad's IT corridor demands attention
This 500-meter stretch is located close to the IT center and is the scene of traffic jams every morning and evening. — Photo: Anand Dharmana

Hyderabad: During peak hours on weekdays, this particular stretch of road between Financial District and Tellapur in the western part of Hyderabad falls into complete chaos. With motorists having to negotiate a narrow road, this traffic jam point has become a significant challenge in their daily commute.

About 500 metres of this stretch at Gowlidoddi, located near the IT hub, witnesses hours of congestion every morning and evening. Apart from being a narrowed passage, there are multiple encroachments on both sides without road dividers.


For Koushik, an IT worker who commutes from BHEL to the Financial District five days a week, driving on this road is a frustrating experience. “From BHEL to Gowlidoddi (around 11 km) it takes me 20 minutes, but to cross this 500 metres takes me 20 to 30 minutes. It is the same situation when I come home from work. As the city grows, they need to improve the infrastructure too,” he says.

In the past few years, this part of the city has grown exponentially due to the IT boom. With it, vehicular traffic has also increased, making these erstwhile village roads unprepared for an urban environment. Several employees residing in Tellapur, Nallagandla, BHEL, Gopanpally, Vattinagulapally and nearby areas commute to Gachibowli for work.

An obvious solution to this would be to widen the road. However, this comes with several complications. “More than three years ago, we widened the roads here, but this part could not be done. There are so many difficulties, such as funds for acquisitions. If we can move these buildings five feet inward, the problem will be solved. But these kinds of things take a lot of time,” says a city planning official.

He adds that the roadside vendors who occupy the space also pose a big challenge. “We try to move them with the help of the traffic police, but they come back and set up shop again. We can’t even move them by force.”

However, traffic could be better regulated with road barriers that are missing. The traffic police currently regulate the flow using barricades that they have to move and adjust daily, depending on the traffic intensity.