Hawkers, cows and chaos: Ayyappa Society choc-a-bloc

Hyderabad: Driving through Ayyappa Society in Madhapur has become a herculean task, with street hawkers and indiscriminate roadside parking narrowing the carriageway and causing frequent traffic snarls.A nearly 1-km stretch starting from KFC junction has turned into a congested corridor lined with vegetable vendors, fruit sellers, and small roadside stalls. Customers often park their vehicles haphazardly on the road while making purchases, further choking the already narrow stretch. To make matters worse, stray cattle frequently wander onto the road, attracted by vegetable waste discarded by vendors.
Residents complain that unregulated street vending and vehicles parked on both sides have reduced the effective width of the road by nearly half in certain sections. "Despite repeated requests to civic authorities, the problem persists. With vehicular density in Madhapur increasing rapidly, authorities must demarcate proper vending zones and strictly enforce no-parking rules," said N Vamshi, a commuter.Once considered a relatively smooth internal road connecting the IT corridor, Ayyappa Society road is now heavily congested, especially during peak office hours. With thousands of IT professionals commuting to nearby offices in Hitec City and surrounding areas, even short stretches now take several minutes to navigate."During evenings, it is impossible to drive without getting stuck. Vehicles are parked on both sides, while hawkers spill onto the road. Even emergency vehicles would struggle to pass smoothly," said Sandeep Reddy, a resident.Office-goers echo similar concerns. "We leave early to avoid traffic on the main roads in Hitec City, but internal roads like Ayyappa Society are worse now and test our patience while navigating this stretch," said Santhosh Kumar, an IT professional working in Madhapur.Traffic police, however, cite manpower constraints. "There is a shortage of staff to monitor internal roads continuously. Building owners should place no-parking boards in front of their premises to prevent encroachments. However, we will conduct a special drive to clear traffic bottlenecks in the area," said a senior traffic official from Madhapur police station.