Badi Chowdi traders protest against Metro Rail

Hyderabad: Traders at Badi Chowdi have alleged that the Hyderabad Metro Rail and the state government are protecting traders of Sultan Bazaar at their expense by taking the new alignment from the middle of the road whereby their buildings will have to be demolished.

The traders protested on Monday morning stating that Badi Chowdi was also a part of Sultan Bazaar and it must not be differentiated in this manner.

Suman Gupta, a businessman at Badi Chowdi said, “Traders of both Sultan Bazaar and Badi Chowdi have together been representing as Traders Joint Action Committee. But of late we have found that there is a division policy being used. The traders at Sultan Bazaar have been appeased as their properties will not be demolished. If their properties are untouched then ours’ too must be spared. We are adjoining each other and quite closely linked. How can the HMR or the state government act like this?”  

The traders are especially upset with the survey being carried out at night.

G. Manohar explained, “After 2 am many people come to our street and check what is where. The employees who sleep in the shops inform the owners of these activities. Apart from the yellow markings, they are checking utility services, pipelines, electric poles and also other underground connections. Why is all this happening?”

There are 130 buildings, 400 shopkeepers and three religious structures – a Hanuman temple, Hari masjid and Arya Samaj – in this vicinity and the traders say that they want the government to explain what’s going on.

Mr Gupta added, “We have approached the Hyderabad Metro Rail but there is no answer. We are representing to the state government too but there is no response either.

We are requesting the government to very clearly come out on their policy for the whole of Sultan Bazaar which includes Badi Chowdi.”

Hyderabad Metro Rail managing director N.V.S. Reddy meanwhile refused to comment on the subject.

Yellow marks near Assembly are part of survey, says L&T

The yellow markings on the road near the Assembly, Andhra Bank at Koti and near Osmania Medical College are part of a survey being carried out by L&T Metro Rail to understand the various underground utilities, stated senior officers.

L&T Metro Rail has taken permission from the state government to carry out the survey and they state that it is part of their project.

A senior officer said, “The survey is being done to understand the utilities which are underground as it requires mapping and coordinating with various government authorities in case the routes are finalised by the state government.”

The survey of the area is required to understand the positioning of pillars, geology of the surface area and also other engineering details which require to be sorted out at the planning level before works begin.

An officer added, “There is no written permission by the state government. The project has to move further. Hence we have three different plans which are ready and once the government gives the required permission, we will go ahead.”

The sub-contractors who have completed the work till Lakdi-ka-Pul are different and as this work has to be carried out with the right expertise and workers once permission is received; new sub-contractors will have to be appointed to carry out the works. Meanwhile, the yellow markings have raised a hue and cry as they are an indication that the Metro Rail will go that way.  Whether the metro work will happen or not will only be confirmed once the government issues written communication.