Several motorists were injured in Hyderabad after they skid and fell due to the slippery roads on Friday morning.
Visuals show many bikes fallen on the ground on the Telugu Talli flyover near the Secretariat. Bikes are parked in many places on the flyover, and traffic is at a standstill. The person behind the camera can be heard cautioning other motorists to drive slowly.
According to the police, this was the condition in many locations across the city including RTC crossroads, Indira Park, Abids and Khairatabad.
Police said that the motorists only suffered minor injuries.
While it was speculated that the accidents took place due to an oil spill on the road, the police said that it was not so. Since it had drizzled at the time, the police said that the drizzle, coupled with the oil which got soaked into the tar, made the road slippery.
To prevent any further accidents on the flyover, the police closed down the road for two-wheelers for half an hour. With the help of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, they spilled mud on the road to make it suitable for the two-wheelers to ride safely.
“We had closed down the flyover from 10.30 am- 11 am for the two-wheelers and advised them to go slow and the roads became unsuitable for riding on two-wheeler,” Saifabad Traffic Police Inspector Srinivas Reddy told TNM.
“The situation was same at several places. If it would have rained heavily, the problem wouldn’t have arised. The rain water would washed away the oil content from the road. Since it was a drizzle, the oil, which remains soaked in the tar of the road got released, making it difficult for motorists to ride,” he said.
The accidents raised questions about the quality of the newly re-carpeted roads. When TNM contacted GHMC Chief Engineer Ziauddin, he refused to comment.