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Hyderabad: Sankranti rush continued on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway as heavy traffic jams continued to occur in several places due to the large number of vehicles heading towards Andhra Pradesh for the festival.
Cars and other vehicles are moving at a slow pace at the Pantangi Toll Plaza. Authorities have opened 10 toll booths for vehicles going towards Vijayawada. Vehicles are moving slowly at Peddakaparathy, Chityal, Kodad, and Ramapuram Cross. Police pickets continue at ‘black spots’ on the highway.
On Saturday, 71,284 vehicles passed through the Pantangi Toll Plaza in Yadadri district. Of these, 47,560 vehicles travelled towards Vijayawada until Sunday evening. At the Keesara toll plaza, an average of 1,917 vehicles passed through per hour. The Secretariat, Telangana Talli flyover, and Tank Bund appeared deserted.
Special trains:
Bus stations and railway stations are crowded as people head towards their native places in Andhra Pradesh. South Central Railway has announced that it will operate 11 additional special trains to accommodate the large number of passengers traveling from the city to the villages.
Rooster fights in AP:
Meanwhile, Sankranti celebrations are inseparable from rooster fights, a tradition which continues to attract thousands of people to AP every year. East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna districts, especially are major hubs of cockfighting during the harvest festival.
Roosters are put through brutal training regimens as betting syndicates mushroom through the districts, where crores of rupees are expected to change hands.
Cockfighting illegal:
It has to be noted that Kodi Pandaalu or cockfighting is illegal and violates two laws; Prevention of cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and AP Gaming Act, 1974.
According to reports, police are deploying drones for the first time to keep an eye on remote villages, where fights usually go unnoticed.
Authorities have issued stern warnings that they mean to punish violators this year.
