Hyderabad, January 30: An eerie silence prevailed today in the otherwise bustling commercial localities of Sultan Bazar, Badi Chowdi, Putlibowli, Koti, Kachiguda, Narayanguda, Chikkadpally, RTC X Road and Musheerabad as the traders observed a complete bandh demanding the state government to change the alignment of the Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) Corridor- II.
The commercial hubs that are usually packed with shoppers from dawn to dusk, were completely calm today as all the traders downed their shutters voluntarily.
As the day progressed, these areas also reverberated with slogans such as “Sultan Bazar, Badi Chowdi ka heritage bachao, Metro Rail mat Lao”. A large number of traders with black badges and black flags took out rallies in the lanes to protest against the metro project. Their demand was that the state government must change the alignment of the project which would otherwise affect lakhs of people who will lose their livelihood and homes.
The traders have resolved to intensify the agitation and will not rest until the alignment is changed. They are ready to lay down their lives to save their localities, K Kesava Rao, president of the Twin Cities Traders Welfare Federation told Express.
The traders will meet again on February 6 to decide on the future course of action like indefinite bandhs, rasta rokos, holding meetings and rallies for their cause.
“The movement has just started and we will take it to its logical end. All the traders are now united and will ensure that the project is not allowed to come up in their areas at any cost,” Kesava Rao said.
Suman Gupta, a pharmaceutical distributor at Badi Chowdi wondered that when the HMR managing director NVS Reddy could change the alignment of Corridor-II traversing through the Old City on the diktats of the Majilis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLAs, why cannot he do the same here.
“As we have no political clout, they want to muzzle us and throw us out but we will not tolerate this,” the traders warned. We are not against the project but are against the officials for changing the alignments according to their own whims and fancies without taking the views of the traders into consideration, they said.
The officials should have held a series of debates with the traders who will be affected by the HMR project but this was not done so, Sanjay kumar, a trader lamented. They are keeping the project under close wraps and are not divulging its details, he said.
–Agencies