Hyderabad: There will be no relief from the scorching sun for motorists halting at Hyderabad’s traffic lights this summer. The green mesh canopies that the Hyderabad traffic police and GHMC usually install over major junctions each April have been shelved for 2025. Traffic police officials confirmed they are “not undertaking any such initiative this year.” A senior GHMC official added that zonal commissioners backed out from the exercise, citing safety and liability concerns. He noted that the structures would span the main carriageways and could cause “untoward incidents” if they failed. Introduced in April 2018 and applauded by commuters — except in 2020, when lockdown kept roads empty — the canopies had protected motorists from direct sunlight during the three-minute-long red-light waits. With daytime temperatures already above 40°C, many now stop well behind the line to stand under the few remaining trees, or seek cover beneath flyovers and Metro Rail pillars. “When the bike’s moving, the breeze helps,” one motorcyclist said. “Standing still under the sun is hurting.” The southwest monsoon is not expected until late May, leaving motorists to endure several more weeks of unfiltered summer glare.
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