Ground Report: A grudge match in Malkajgiri takes the focus away from water and travel woes

Lakshmi has been selling vegetables for the past 10 years. She feels that the Rythu Bazaar has lost its relevance.(Deepika Pasham/South First)

Like his contemporaries elsewhere in the country, he gushed at the triumphant run of the Indian cricket team at the ongoing ICC World Cup. He required a little prodding to get back to the immediate reality that could decide his future.

The reality did not look rosy to him, or Lakshmi, a vegetable vendor at Rythu Baazar in the Malkajgiri constituency in Hyderabad’s suburbs. Lakshmi, selling leafy vegetables for the past 10 years, has seen better days.

“The bazaar is losing its significance. This was not the situation years ago. Several vendors are leaving the bazaar because the people prefer the santhas (weekly markets in residential colonies),” she rued. Rythu Bazaars were meant to help farmers bring their produce straight to consumers by eliminating middlemen.

The bazaar lacks the basic infrastructure to attract customers. The battered roads that get inundated during rain have been a dreadful turn-off.

The Malkajgiri Assembly constituency is a picture in contrast, a vast canvas capturing the opposites of development, like the neglected bazaar — and railway station behind St Martin’s High School, to be soon converted into a major railway junction.

Incidentally, Malkajgiri is the largest Lok Sabha constituency in the country, in terms of the number of voters.

Concerns over shifted loyalty

Ramulu, a resident of Patel Nagar, is worried over the sitting MLA Mynampally Hanumanth Rao shifting his loyalty to the Congress from the BRS in September this year.

Raghu Nandan Rao is happy that the MLA has addressed flooding. (Deepika Pasham/South First)

He felt that Rao would win the constituency and end up on the opposition bench. “I have been living in Patel Nagar for the past 20 years. I have seen politicians from different parties. But when Hanumanth Rao was the MLA, he brought us relief from flooding. Now, with Hanumantha Rao joining the Congress, it might stop the welfare measures and the allotment of 2 BHK houses,” Ramulu shared his concern with South First.

Hanumanth Rao has improved the living conditions in areas such as Alwal, and Patel Nagar, which used to get flooded in the rainy season, many residents said.

“To see an MLA amidst us frequently is rare in politics. Our MLA Hanumanth Rao has been doing development work. My child studies at DAV School and I have noticed him addressing civic issues. He keeps interacting with people,” Ramesh of Neredmet vouched for the MLA.

Stationery shop owner Raghu Nandan Rao echoed the same sentiment. He had shifted to Alwal from Nizamabad in 1996,

“A day of heavy rain and our colony in Old Alwal used to be in the news for being underwater. We have been raising the issue for several years, and now MLA Hanumanth Rao completed a pipeline work that would ease the situation,” Nandan Rao said.

“He is a man of his word. If he promises something, we can relax, because it will be done,” he added.

Ahmed of Moulali, too, backed Hanumanth Rao. He said the MLA opened a road in the area, which eased commuting woes.

Malkajgiri Assembly constituency in numbers. (Click on the image to enlarge)

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Miles to go

However, not all voters are backing Hanumanth Rao. Some — mostly his political rivals — said he often behaved like an autocrat.

“MLA Mynampally Hanumanth Rao destroyed democracy in Malkajgiri,” PM Sai Prasad, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha’s national treasurer opined. “He speaks the language of street hoodlums, physically assaults, and openly threatens other party leaders, citizens, and media persons,” he claimed.

“His followers are usurping public parks, lakes, and land belonging to the common man. This MLA has always been promising the moon. I will hold him accountable for unfulfilled and impractical promises. It’s time to bell the cat,” he added.

Several other issues have been left unattended in the constituency. Frequent waterlogging, inadequate drainage facilities, and waste management systems dog the segment.

Psychologist and counselor Sandhya pointed out the lack of transportation facilities in the constituency. “I have to travel to different places on work daily. Since Alwal doesn’t have a metro facility, I am forced to take bike taxis every day. The government schools I visit, too, need better infrastructure,” she told South First.

Drawing attention to the depleted condition of roads in AS Rao Nagar locality, social activist Robin Zaccheus, also advocated the extension of the Metro rail to Malkajgiri. “The constituency has been ignored for the past nine years. Residents have been requesting for the Metro in Malkajgiri, Neredmet, and Triumalgherry via ECIL [Electronics Corporation of India Limited],” he said,

“The Strategic Nala Development Programme from Tirumalgherry to ECIL has been delayed for seven years now. The RK Puram flyover is in bad shape and it needs a over bridge. The available government schools are without the necessary infrastructure. Look at the condition of the roads,” he opened a bag of woes.

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Travel and water woes

Manjunath, a B Tech student at Geetanjali College at Cheeryala in the Medchal-Malkajgiri, too, spoke about the inadequate transport facilities. “I need to travel almost 12 km to reach my college from my house at Anandbhag. I have to start by 7.30 am to reach the college by 9.05 am. Often I reach college late,” he said.

The huts of GHMC garbage collectors in Moulali (Deepika Pasham/South First)

Haritha, a private company employee, wanted measures to curb road accidents.

Several residents said welfare activities in the constituency stopped after Hanumanth Rao crossed the floor over to the Congress.

Residents also pointed out the water woes of a few localities. Akshitha Reddy, a chicken shop owner, said her apartment does not have regular water supply due to certain rules of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.

“I live in Panchawati Colony. There is a drainage adjacent to our apartment. If it rains for an hour, the ground floor gets flooded. Also, we pay ₹20 per bottle of water,” she said.

At Maulali, about 40-50 families live in huts, many of them paying around ₹4,000 as rent. The residents, mostly garbage collectors, said politicians approach them only during the elections.

“Irrespective of whether it is summer or monsoon, life is a struggle here. We have not been given the 2BHK houses. Most of us have shifted here from the Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh, and we have been unable to change the address on the Aadhaar cards. Only a few families could afford the education of their children. The remaining children start collecting garbage at a young age,” N Ravi, one of the residents, told South First.

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Battle for prestige

The Malkajgiri constituency hogged the limelight recently with Hanumanth Rao leaving the BRS for the Congress.

The BRS has taken the fight in the constituency as a prestigious one, and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has deployed Minister T Harish Rao in the constituency to humble the sitting MLA and ensure the win of the party candidate, Marri Rajasekhar Reddy, son-in-law of Minister Ch Malla Reddy.

Rajasehkar Reddy’s Arundathi Hospitals at Gandimaisamma, near Dundigal in Hyderabad has been providing free treatment, which made him popular.

In the previous Assembly election, Hanumanth Rao won with a vote share of 55.49 percent against his nearest rival, N Ramchander Rao of the BJP, who garnered 19.31 percent.

Hanumanth Rao left the BRS after the party refused to field his son Rohith Mynampally from the Medak constituency.

According to the Election Commission of India, the Malkajgiri constituency has 4,68,822 voters. Of the total voters, 2,36,804 are men, and 2,32,009 are women, Nine voters belong to the third gender.

Scheduled Castes and Backward Community votes will decide the poll outcome.