Formula E & Secretariat inauguration: First 2 weeks of Feb to see traffic diversions, road closures around Tank Bund

Hyderabad: With a host of events planned in the city this month—from the start of the Assembly session to the Formula E race to the new Secretariat inauguration, Hyderabadis are likely to witness road closures and traffic restrictions around the Tank Bund area from 3 to 17 February.

3 February: The Assembly session starts. Restriction on movement of vehicles likely.

5 February: NTR Marg will be closed to complete pending works for Formula E.

7–12 February: Traffic diversions will be enforced in view of the race.

17 February: The new Secretariat will be inaugurated by the Chief Minister. Cops will be stationed to ensure the free movement of dignitaries and VVIPS.

Security arrangement for Formula E

As Hyderabad gears up to host India’s first Formula E race, scheduled to take place on the picturesque track around Hussain Sagar on 11 February, the Hyderabad city police are finalising security and traffic arrangements. Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), in collaboration with the Telangana government, will organise the mega event that is expected to draw 21,000 visitors from all over the globe.

City police commissioner C.V. Anand, accompanied by his deputies and event organisers, inspected the 2.8 km race track, audience stands, and entry and exit points. He reviewed the preparedness of the organisers and other security aspects.

In a media brief, Mr. Anand said around 575 police personnel will be deployed to man security and traffic. He appealed to the general public to cooperate with the police and urged them to use metro services. A total of 16 stands, seven gates and four foot-overbridges have been put up in place to facilitate free crowd movement.

“Hyderabad will join in on the action for the first time. Hosting this flagship event in the state demonstrates the state government's innovation, ambition, and determination to accelerate change toward an electric future. The organisers prefer to conduct this event in the heart of the city to bring the next-gen electric cars close to the public. The city police will extend all support and ensure that security measures are elevated to the maximum,” said Mr. Anand.

Traffic diversions

Announcing the traffic diversions, Mr. Anand said NTR Marg will be closed on 5 February (Sunday) to expedite the pending works on the race track and other arrangements. The actual traffic diversions will begin from 7 February. The diversions will be in place till 12 February. A notification will be issued soon, he said requesting the public to note the diversions carefully and avoid movements on this side of the city. He asked people to take the metro to avoid inconvenience.

Secretariat inauguration

Assembly sessions are scheduled to start on 3 February and the new Secretariat will be inaugurated on 17 February. The city police chief said officers will be stationed to ensure the free movement of dignitaries and VVIPS and added that there will be no restriction on the movement of Secretariat employees, labour, and material.