While the blast victims who were treated at corporate hospitals complain about lack of government support, owners of business establishments that bore brunt of the blasts in Dilsukhnagar are struggling to recover from the shock and the financial losses they incurred.
In fact, the ‘mirchi bandi’ (eatery) shop owner Pandu Reddy, where the actual blast took place, is desperately trying to raise money from private lenders to restart his business.
On Monday, the owner cleaned up the shop by removing debris and whitewashed the interiors but had no idea when he will actually start the business.
“The government has assured all the injured blast victims of help but they did not consider us as victims. Nobody has bothered to approach us and enquire about how we are surviving after the blasts. I suffered losses to the tune of over Rs. 5 lakh and I am struggling to raise funds to reopen the eatery,” says Pandu.
On the fateful day, Pandu, who lives in the nearby Gaddiannaram, was on a visit to his native town leaving his three brothers to take care of the business. “We are frequently questioned and harassed by the police. I feel helpless. I have two small children and parents to support. My injured brothers have to take bed rest for at least a month. I am all alone and nobody has helped us,” Pandu says.
Just adjacent to the eatery is Kalpavalli fancy bangle store run by its owner Ramakrishna.
The glass interiors and bangle collections of the shop were blown to pieces due to the impact of the blast. On the day of the blast, Ramakrishna was present at the spot and says that the blast still rings in his ears.
“I suffered losses to the tune of Rs. 4 lakh. In fact, I approached the Hyderabad Collector’s office for help. The officials directed me to submit a letter to the local Mandal Revenue Officer. This was a fortnight ago. Since submitting the letter, nobody has turned up,” Ramakrishna says.
On the top floor, a fancy gifts shop ‘Dream 700’ has closed down.
“The owner suffered huge losses because costly gift items were damaged. The shop owner simply closed it and has never come back after the blast. Officials should realise that we are also victims of the blast,” Ramakrishna said.
