A view of the Telangana High Court in Hyderabad.
Hyderabad: Road accidents in Telangana rose by more than 35 percent between 2020 and 2024, even as annual fatalities held above 7,000 through the period, according to data cited before the Telangana High Court in a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking urgent state action on road safety.
The state recorded 25,934 accidents and 7,281 deaths in 2024, compared with 19,164 accidents and 6,668 deaths in 2020, city-based social activist SQ Masood told the court. Among the cases he cited was the fatal crash at Chevella, which he said was linked to a pothole on the highway and flawed road design, among other factors.
A division bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin took up the PIL on Wednesday, September 9, and directed the state and central governments to respond. The matter was adjourned for further hearing.
Masood argued that the state had failed to implement statutory road-safety mechanisms under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, and asked the court to declare this inaction illegal and in violation of constitutional mandate.
His petition sought a comprehensive road-safety audit of major roads, highways, the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and accident-prone stretches within three months, along with the operationalisation of state and district road safety committees, stricter enforcement of road-design and maintenance standards, and a round-the-clock mechanism for reporting hazards, with potholes to be fixed within 48 hours of being flagged.
He also called for regular safety and fitness checks of buses, GPS-based speed monitoring and CCTV surveillance, driver training programmes, quarterly compliance reports from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the roads and buildings department, and personal accountability for officials whose negligence contributes to fatal accidents.
As interim relief, Masood sought emergency repair of dangerous potholes and accident-prone stretches within seven days, along with dedicated patrolling on major roads and highways.
This post was last modified on September 10, 2026 11:45 am