A fire broke out in Hyderabad's Hayathnagar on 26 April, which burned down 300 huts and everything inside them.
Published Apr 29, 2025 | 12:59 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 29, 2025 | 12:59 PM
Residents are questioning the government's inaction even after the fire has engulfed their lives. (South First)
Synopsis: On 26 April, a fire broke out in Hayathnagar’s Ravi Narayana Reddy Colony, a temporary settlement. With over 10,000 huts, the lifeline of numerous migrants has now turned into charcoal, and a graveyard of over 300 huts stands in the middle of the settlement.
“I have not had a bath in three days, I have to go by the road if I need to use the restroom. My children and I are wearing the only clothes we have left,” 25-year-old Ratlawati Vijaya told South First. She is among hundreds caught in the same predicament in Hyderabad’s Hayathnagar, where a fire consumed everything they owned.
On 26 April, a fire broke out in Hayathnagar’s Ravi Narayana Reddy Colony, a temporary settlement, where there is nothing but a sea of grey tarp-covered huts. With over 10,000 huts, the lifeline of numerous migrants has now turned into charcoal, and a graveyard of over 300 huts stands in the middle of the settlement.
Except for the food ration provided by the Communist Party of India (CPI), they are now living off nothing.
“We cannot go to work. We have to live off the rice that the CPI is giving us. How long can they continue? What will happen to us? Why has nobody come to at least tell us we’ll be fine?” Mangana Thutatti, another victim, asked.
Remnants of a burnt home. (South First)
Nirosha Jetti is a 27-year-old first-generation learner in her family. After completing her undergraduate degree, she also pursued an MBA in distance education. Today, she has nothing to prove her educational qualifications.
“I lost all my certificates. My husband drives an auto, he also lost his driving license and other documents. We were visiting our village on that day only to come back and find everything we had turned to ash,” Nirosha told South First. Along with her certificates, she also lost ₹8,000 she was saving up in cash.
A little away from the site of the incident, two new tents have come up in the colony. While one serves as temporary shade for the people to sleep under, another takes care of food. “We are cooking 50 kg of rice for every meal and making do with whatever rations the CPI is providing us with,” one of the cooks stated. However, other residents noted that this food is neither enough nor a long-lasting solution.
Like Nirosha, CH Padma has also lost everything to the fire. “My husband and I work as daily wage labourers around here. We already didn’t have much. If there was anything we had, it was our child’s education. However, my child lost everything: his certificates, his books, everything. While we are also distraught, having to hear him say he wants to kill himself has given us all the more pain,” she told South First.
Meanwhile, for some residents, grief has turned into anger. “These officers and politicians sleep in air-conditioned rooms. Ask them to sleep without it for a night, and they’ll understand. We were lucky that we didn’t lose anyone to the fire, but I think that is the reason they are refusing to acknowledge our pain.” How can they feel no pity for us?” various women voiced their anger while speaking to South First.
The dishes, in which the community cooks for all the people who lost their huts. (South First)
Following the fire on 26 April, the CPI has stepped up to assist in whatever way they can. “We suspect that those vying for this land set fire to our huts. That is why we must be careful,” CPI state councilman Yadireddy Mutyala told South First.
At the entrance to the colony, a couple of people clad in red t-shirts dutifully guard the entry. Asking every outsider regarding their purpose of visit and checking their vehicles, they are uncompromising in their duty towards their community.
“On 26 April, the fire took place sometime in the afternoon, but the Fire Department took an hour to reach here. By that time, over 300 huts had burned down. This has displaced over 600 people in the colony,” Yadireddy said.
“These are people from all across the 33 districts of Telangana who have come here to make a living with nothing. All they had was what was in these huts, and now, they’ve lost that too,” Yadireddy sighed. “All we want is some compensation from the government. This area has nothing; no water, no power. We are demanding such basic amenities and at least ₹1 lakh for them,” he reported.
Yadireddy revealed that nobody, apart from the police and MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao, came to the site following the fire. “We met the district collector and are trying to meet the chief minister. All we received were a couple of bedsheets from the Collectorate,” he said.
A new sentiment is emerging on the unpaved roads of the colony. The people’s grief is turning into anger as they feel abandoned. Most stories begin with the pain of what they lost. However, as they continue to explain their pain, a barrier cracks as they demand reparations from the government.
“You came to our houses for votes. You won’t come now that we need you,” asked a resident. “If you abandon us in our moment of need, it’ll become a sin you can never wash off,” another person cautioned. “We are not just a number to be reported, we are people, we are families, we have lost everything,” said another person, expressing their grief.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
