By Wednesday morning, Hyderabad woke up to a situation that quickly went from bad to worse, as fuel queues spilled onto major roads and disrupted daily movement. What started as early rush for petrol soon turned into long, unmoving lines stretching across key junctions. As the saying goes, too many cars in one place can bring everything to a standstill, and that is exactly what played out.
Traffic slowed sharply, leaving commuters stuck for hours while police struggled to keep roads functional amid the growing pressure.
How Did Fuel Queues Turn Hyderabad Roads Into Traffic Bottlenecks?
Across several parts of the city, vehicles lined up outside petrol pumps and extended onto main carriageways, reducing space for moving traffic. The situation was most visible along the Old Mumbai Highway in Raidurgam, a key IT corridor.
The stretch from the Cyberabad Commissionerate office to Care Hospitals near the Biodiversity Park junction resembled a parking lot. Service lanes were packed, while two to three lanes on the main road were taken over by vehicles waiting to refuel, leaving only narrow gaps for traffic.
Traffic Inspector Pavan Mayasa said the situation worsened late Tuesday night, especially near the Lemon Tree stretch. Queues stretched up to the IKEA underpass and near the Gachibowli U turn towards Indira Nagar. Efforts to pause fuel station operations briefly to ease congestion were met with resistance from customers and operators.
What Steps Did Police Take To Manage Traffic And Maintain Order?
Traffic police maintained a constant presence in areas like Gachibowli, regulating queues and allowing vehicles in a controlled manner. In narrower localities, lines spread into adjoining streets, making movement even more difficult.
Joint Commissioner D. Joel Davis said junctions such as Lakdikapul, with multiple petrol pumps, faced severe pressure. Similar scenes were reported in Nanal Nagar, Tolichowki and Langar Houz.
By mid morning, law and order teams joined traffic police to manage both congestion and rising tensions among commuters.
