Sankranti travel relief: Telangana seeks toll-free days on Hyderabad-Vijayawada Highway

State government proposes temporary suspension of toll collection to ease festive rush; request sent to Centre and NHAI amid fears of massive congestion on NH-65.

In a major relief move for Sankranti holiday travellers, the Telangana government has proposed suspending toll collection on the heavily used Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway for a few days during the festive period. The aim is to ease severe traffic congestion faced by lakhs of passengers travelling between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh during the harvest festival.

Telangana Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy has formally written to Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), requesting temporary toll exemption on this stretch of NH-65.

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As per the proposal, toll collection should be halted for vehicles travelling from Hyderabad to Vijayawada between January 9 and January 14, when the outbound festive rush is at its peak. In addition, the government has sought toll-free passage for vehicles returning from Vijayawada to Hyderabad between January 16 and January 18, coinciding with the post-festival return of travellers.

Every year during Sankranti, traffic congestion on this highway worsens dramatically. Vehicles often line up for kilometres at major toll plazas, particularly Pantangi, Korlapahad and Chillakallu. Despite the widespread use of FASTag, the sheer volume of traffic results in waiting times stretching into several hours.

This year, the situation is expected to be even more challenging due to ongoing infrastructure works along the corridor, including road widening, flyover construction and underpass development. These works have reduced carriageway space at multiple points, increasing the risk of complete traffic standstills if vehicles are forced to stop for toll payments.

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According to the state government, stopping vehicles for toll collection during peak festive days could effectively paralyse the entire highway. Allowing uninterrupted movement, it argues, would significantly reduce congestion, improve safety and ensure smoother travel for families heading home for Sankranti.

While the proposal has been officially conveyed, the final decision rests with the Union government and NHAI. How they respond to Telangana’s request for toll waiver during the festival period remains a key point of discussion.