Hyderabad: The famous Sultan Bazaar in the heart of Hyderabad city observed a total shutdown in protest against the volte-face by the Telangana government and the L&T Metro Rail on changing the route of the Metro line.
Sultan Bazaar Traders’ Joint Action Committee gave the call for a day-long strike after V B Gadgil, managing director of L&T Metro Rail announced that the company will go ahead with its original plans of laying the Metro line through Sultan Bazaar and the state Assembly building.
Normally congested roads wore a deserted look and the group of shop keepers held a demonstration with placards demanding “Save Sultan Bazaar”. Police kept a close watch on the situation to prevent any untoward incident.
This was in sharp contrast to the promise of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to get the Metro project realigned to preserve the heritage structures like the state assembly building and the Sultan Bazaar, the oldest and the busiest market in Kothi area.
Earlier the chief minister had adopted a tough stand on the issue refusing to permit the Metro line through the Sultan Bazaar and demanded a realignment though a considerable ground work was already done at enormous cost.
But in view of the escalating cost and expression of inability by the L&T to change the route, the state government has given up its demands.
Gadgil said that as per the agreement the Metro Rail Project will pass through Sultan Bazaar and Assembly. “Discussions are on only about the Old City of Hyderabad”, he told the media.
Angrily reacting to the sudden development, Sultan Bazaar traders decided to shut down their business. They have been opposing the passage of Metro through the area on the ground that it will lead to the closure of hundreds of shops render thousands of people jobless.
Suman Gupta, a leader of the Joint Action Committee charged the state government with back on the promise of getting the project realigned. “It is not a minor decision. It will lead to demolition of 70 buildings and business of more than 300 traders will be destroyed and leave thousands of people including the pavement dwellers unemployed”, he said adding that the agitation will be further intensified and the cooperation of the opposition parties will be sought.
He pointed out that before the 2014 elections K Chandrasekhar Rao had promised that at no cost the Metro project will be allowed to pass through Sultan Bazaar. “But he has forgotten his promise of protecting the heritage of the city”, he said.
The earlier stand of KCR government had only led to further delays in completion of the works and escalation of cost to a whopping Rs18 billion (Dh993 million), officials said.
When asked about the decision of L&T, the state Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma said that the government had not asked for realignment. “The government had only asked the L&T to examine the feasibility of realignment but they did not come back with any clear report”, he said.
L&T’s decision may also lead to a bigger political controversy in Hyderabad as Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen was opposing tooth and nail the original plans of laying the Metro Rail through congested sections of Old City not far from the historic monument of Charminar.
Pointing out that laying the Metro Project as per the earlier plans will lead to demolition of thousands of residential and commercial building towards Falaknuma, MIM floor leader in the state assembly said that if the L&T insists on this route, Metro line will not become a reality in the old city. “We have suggested an alternate route of a line along the river Musi from Imlibun to Bahadurpura and from there to Falaknuma and this could be the only solution”, he said.
The work on the project on the state Assembly-Sultan Bazaar route had come to a stop since June last year because of the demand for realignment.
L&T officials said that the delays in the work because of the demands to change the route has added a burden of Rs18 billion. In addition to this, another Rs30 billion were added to the cost because of the other factors including inflation, currency fluctuations and change in interest rates.
Hyderabad Metro project was originally estimated to cost Rs141.32 billion and work was to be completed by July 2017. But now it will take one more year for the project to be fully ready.