early two months after the Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities won over the businessmen of Sultan Bazaar to allow the elevated carriageway to be built through it as part of Corridor Two – Jubilee Bus Station to Falaknuma, marking and soil testing has begun on the stretch.
In the last couple of days, metro rail engineers have installed soil boring machinery in three sites and are working at nights when the market’s usual hustle-bustle is absent. Altogether, the bazaar will have 10 piers or pillars to support the viaduct superstructure atop. Soil testing will be done at all 10 sites before pier work starts.
Senior metro rail officials state that marking of properties lying on the less than half-a-km stretch has also commenced as per the agreement reached between the owners, tenant shopkeepers and hawkers trading between the Bata showroom up to Andhra Bank on the other end.
Sultan Bazaar road is about 40 ft wide and this will be widened to 65 ft rather than the original plan of 100 ft as per the compromise formula worked out. Roughly 10 ft front space of 120-odd properties is likely to be taken over when the road widening begins after the soil testing and “only after taking the consent of the stakeholders”.
“We are happy the contentious issue got resolved amicably. We are now requesting the metro rail officials to complete the work quickly so that we can get back to do our businesses normally and traffic issues too can be sorted out,” avers V. Kishen Yadav, president, Sultan Bazaar Traders Joint Action Committee for alignment change of Corridor Two.
Mr. Yadav is particularly pleased that the hawkers’ interests have been taken care of. “Hawkers were at the mercy of the shopkeepers and had to do their businesses out in the open. Now, they can do under the viaduct getting protection from sun and rain.”
Hawkers Association vice-president A.G. Khandilkar says “We got written assurances from the metro rail authorities about rehabilitating us. We are waiting for the construction to be done fast.”
HMR Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy explained that the plan is to complete construction of 10 piers within a month, but “if we hit a rock, it could take up to three months”. Visibly relieved about the work processing sans any protest, he reiterates that any property losing 50 per cent space will be provided alternate accommodation in the Sultan Bazaar Metro complex at Putlibowli.
Traders want the officials to complete the work quickly so that they can get back to their businesses
