A severe traffic bottleneck outside Sarath City Capital Mall in Kondapur has become a major concern for commuters in Hyderabad, with motorists often spending up to two hours navigating a short stretch during peak hours. The congestion has prompted Cyberabad authorities to warn the mall management to address the issue or face action, including a possible closure notice. The choke point is located on the Gachibowli–Miyapur road, a busy arterial corridor that carries around 1.2 lakh vehicles daily.
Despite the construction of a 22-ft-wide underpass last year connecting the mall’s parking area to the main road, congestion persists from the mall entrance to Botanical Garden junction and up to the Radisson Hotel, disrupting movement along the entire corridor. According to Gachibowli Traffic Inspector Gona Suresh, the primary reason for the long traffic queues is that six lanes of traffic are forced into just two lanes between the mall and the Kothaguda junction, where the available carriageway suddenly narrows. The problem is compounded by the absence of a dedicated pick-up and drop-off facility for cabs and autorickshaws, with thousands of shoppers waiting for rides directly outside the mall entrance while cabs and autos queue on the carriageway, occupying valuable road space.
The mall attracts between 50,000 and 60,000 visitors on an average day, besides employing around 3,500 to 4,500 people. Weekend footfall rises to between 1.5 lakh and 2.5 lakh visitors, with nearly 1.5 lakh to 1.8 lakh people arriving during the peak evening hours between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. To address the issue, Cyberabad traffic police and municipal authorities have proposed constructing an underpass or inlet ramp from the Botanical Garden side leading directly to the B1 parking level as a dedicated pick-up and drop-off point for cabs and autorickshaws.
Additionally, a skywalk linking the mall to the opposite side of the road has been proposed to shift waiting commuters away from the entrance and ease congestion. Authorities are also identifying commercial buildings, religious structures, and other encroachments along the Gachibowli–Miyapur corridor that have narrowed the carriageway at several locations, with plans to issue notices for their removal to widen the carriageway and improve traffic flow.
