Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Will Shri KCR keep his promise on Sultan Bazaar or not?

Will KCR keep his promise or dump them? If Sultan Bazaar is lost, a part of the history and soul of Hyderabad will be lost. It depends on KCR now. The bustling Sultan Bazaar and a section of Kothi observed bandh yesterday against the metro corridor-2 which will pass thru the bazar and raze many shops. In early 2011 Sultan Bazar, Badi Chawdi and Putlibouli markets observed bandhs and undertook protest actions several times. It was such a fierce resistance that, till today, the metro authorities dared not enter the area to conduct even soil tests.
On 17 June 2011, KCR addressed a public meeting in Sultan Bazar and warned of bloodshed if the market is touched. After becoming the CM of Telangana, he promised on the floor of the Assembly (I don't remember the date) that the metro would be diverted and will not touch Sultan Bazaar.
Several months have passed and now the L&T metro authorities have started visiting the area and making markings for pillars. The traders sensed the danger and observed a bandh yesterday reiterating their earlier demand. They also reminded Shri KCR to keep his word. However, one sad difference this time is that the Badi Chawdi did not participate in the bandh as differences cropped up between the traders of the two bazaars.