Sai Kumari, who gained popularity as 'Kumari aunty', has reportedly been running the eatery on the footpath for more than 10 years.
Published Feb 01, 2024 | 11:26 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 01, 2024 | 11:26 AM
Sai Kumari at her eatery in Madhapur, Hyderabad. (Supplied)
A woman, popularly known as “Kumari aunty”, who was reportedly asked by the police to shift her roadside food stall in the IT hub of the city, can now continue doing business as usual, thanks to the intervention of Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Reddy. on Wednesday, 31 January, directed the Director General of Police and Municipal Administration officials to “rescind their decision to shift” her eatery at Madhapur in Hyderabad, home to IT and other top companies, besides five-star hotels, official sources said.
Congress sources said that the government would stand by the poor. An official from the Chief Minister’s office or government may also visit her soon.
Sai Kumari, who gained popularity as “Kumari aunty”, has been running the eatery on the footpath in Madhapur for more than 10 years.
However, she did not have any permissions, the police said, adding that the rush of customers and vehicles being parked near it led to traffic obstructions.
Kumari has gone viral on social media in recent times due to the delicious food, including non-veg, served by her.
Traffic police said they did not ask her to shut the food stall but only imposed challans on vehicles parked on the road, and also near the eatery for obstructing vehicular movements.
#Telangana CM @revanth_anumula has directed the @TelanganaDGP, the @GHMCOnline and the @TSMAUDOnline to revoke their decision to shift street vendor Sai Kumari’s — fondly known as #KumariAunty‘s — eatery. It lies beside the Hotel ITC Kohenur in Madhapur.
A day earlier, the… pic.twitter.com/cS1XCI35Tm
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) January 31, 2024
As the issue went viral on social media, support poured in for Kumari, including from Telugu film actors.
Actor Sundeep Kishan said on X, “It was not fair to ask her to remove her shop”.
He later praised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for his intervention.
Huge Respect to CM @revanth_anumula
Garu .. thank you Sir for instantly responding to the public’s request & Supporting a Small Scale Woman Entrepreneur like #SaiKumari garu ..🙏🏽
Sets the right precedent for Women who Dream Big ♥️@TelanganaCMO @TelanganaCOPs @TelanganaDGP— Sundeep Kishan (@sundeepkishan) January 31, 2024
Kumari thanked the Chief Minister for his help, calling his action an example of “people’s governance” as promised by him.
Meanwhile, the ruling YSR Congress in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh alleged on X that TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Jana Sena Party founder Pawan Kalyan were behind her (Kumari) eatery being asked to shift as the woman stated that she got a house due to the YSR Congress government.
The woman is said to be a native of Andhra Pradesh.
(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)
