Hyderabad Police Roll Out Comprehensive Safety Initiative for Outer Ring Road

Hyderabad's law enforcement and allied government bodies are preparing to enforce tougher safety protocols on the Outer Ring Road to curtail accident rates and bolster traveller security.

A high-level coordination session on ORR safety was convened at the TGICCC under the direction of Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar. Participants included representatives from the Transport Department, HMDA, NHAI, GHMC, HGCL, and IRB Infra, alongside traffic personnel from the Cyberabad, Malkajgiri, and Future City Commissionerates.

During the meeting, IRB officials outlined the road safety interventions currently operational on the expressway. Sajjanar underscored the importance of proactive measures rather than reactive responses following mishaps. He identified ORR safety as a critical priority, particularly given the corridor's substantial traffic volume of nearly 2.80 lakh vehicles daily.

The Police Commissioner highlighted that the roadway experiences between five and six accidents daily. He called upon all stakeholders to strengthen inter-departmental coordination with the ultimate goal of eliminating accidents entirely.

Among the proposals put forward was a counselling programme for traffic rule violators alongside the existing penalty system. Sajjanar also suggested deploying real-time safety notifications to drivers' mobile devices upon entering the ORR. He further directed the reduction of emergency response timeframes and the potential deployment of traffic marshals where necessary. Additionally, he mandated that vehicles remain in motion on the ORR except in cases of mechanical failure.

Recent accident statistics spanning four months reveal that drowsiness or fatigue contributed to 33 per cent of incidents. Rash driving accounted for 25 per cent, overspeeding for 15 per cent, and tyre failures for 14 per cent of accidents.

Sajjanar advocated for intensive public awareness initiatives to prevent accidents and recommended data-informed safety improvements coupled with a comparative safety rating system for expressways across the state.

Transport Commissioner Ilambarthi outlined departmental efforts to lower accident figures, including expanded CCTV infrastructure and adherence to recent Supreme Court directives. The department is already emphasising vehicle maintenance inspections and tyre quality assessments. Ilambarthi also suggested instituting dedicated monthly review sessions focused exclusively on ORR safety.

The meeting brought together numerous senior officials from police, transport, and infrastructure sectors to evaluate existing safety mechanisms on the corridor.