HYDERABAD, 22 July — The proposal to divert traffic passing by the historic Charminar monument has angered the trading community of the city, who fear a slump in their business, with the new arrangements.
Authorities have sacrificed trade for tourism, said Asaduddin Owaisi, a Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), floor leader in the state assembly.
While his party, he said, is concerned about the protection of the monument it will not allow the government to snatch the livelihood of people in the area. The MIM has decided to mobilize traders opposing the “unilateral” decision to divert the traffic. From tomorrow, the vehicles entering the old city from the northern side will be diverted at Musi River, a kilometer away from the monument. The traffic from the other side meanwhile will continue to ply on the existing road till an alternative one is provided to make the area around Charminar a no-traffic zone.
The MIM, which has four legislators in the old city, suspect an anti-Muslim conspiracy behind the plan to divert traffic. The party is also angry that the authorities took a decision without even consulting local legislators. In the past attempts of municipal authorities to remove encroachments around Charminar had led to violence. Some officials fear a similar situation in the communally sensitive area if MIM goes ahead with its plans to mobilize traders opposing the no-traffic zone plans.
The area around 400-year-old Charminar has the historic Mecca Masjid, Chow Mohalla palace, the seat of power of erstwhile Hyderabad state, the beautiful building of Nizamia Shifa Khana (Unani Hospital) and several other palaces.
The two-kilometer area is not merely a symbol of Hyderabad’s rich heritage and culture but the biggest and oldest business center in Andhra Pradesh. From world famous pearls, bangles and garments to household items the busy markets around the monument offers everything for shoppers.
The area also offers the famous “biryani” or flavored rice and other mouth-watering dishes. The 2,000 shops and hundreds of footpath vendors, around the monument, do a daily business of 100 million rupees. Every day about 50,000 people including tourists and shoppers visit the area.
The markets bustle with activity during the holy month of Ramadan and the traders do an estimated one billion rupees business during the month. As the old city lacks a parallel road, thousands of vehicles including buses and other heavy vehicles pass close to the monument. The vehicular pollution and the vibrations caused by the movement of the vehicles is causing irreparable damage to the monument.
