Hyderabad: Empty spaces under flyovers are usually used by private buses or trucks for parking, however, a citizen of Hyderabad decided to make use of one such space to feed the poor. Seeing that a large number of poor and destitute in and around the Malakpet station and Chanchalguda were going hungry every day, Mr Azhar Maqsusi from the Old City, has launched a daily free-food camp under the Chanchalguda flyover.
The programme was launched by Mr Maqsusi around three years ago when he saw a physically handicapped woman, Ms Lakshmi, begging near the railway station. Since then he has been feeding the poor without fail, every single day. “My father died when I was very young and my mother raised all of us with great difficulty. I know what it is to sleep hungry.
The next day (after seeing Ms Lakshmi), my wife cooked food for around 15 people and I distributed it near the flyover,” said Mr Maqsusi, who has a plaster of Paris interior design business.
Food packets were distributed initially but now the space under the flyover is used to cook and distribute the food. To this day, whenever a poor person reaches the flyover during the afternoon (during non-Ramzan months) and post-Iftar (during Ramzan), rice, dal and kadhi is served to him or her. The programme is run with the help from friends and feeds one meal a day to 100-120 people.
Nearly 25 kg rice, 2 kg pulses, one litre of oil and spices are required every day. It costs around Rs 1500 to Rs 1700 daily including the remuneration of the cook. On how one can contact him, he said through Fb or can visit the flyover.
