Streets were cleaned at break-neck speed, stray dogs caught by civic workers and a manhole was opened to let in free-flowing sewage on Saturday at the 100-year-old Monda market at Secunderabad when Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao came calling.
Arriving an hour after the designated time, Mr. Rao interacted with several vegetable vendors at the market. He enquired about prices with retailers as he passed by in the area, starting from the entrance near the Islamiah High School, till the old clock tower.
G. Ramesh, who runs a vegetable stall, was one of them who was elated on being asked by Mr. Rao about the current conditions in the market. “He asked me the rate of capsicum, which is sold at Rs.70 per kilo now. He asked my neighbour about the prices of other vegetables,” he said. Mr. Rao also visited the old meat shops in the old Monda market premises. Babu Miyan, who runs one of the shops there, said that it was the first time he had seen any Chief Minister enter the area. “He told us that he will provide us air-conditioned rooms after pulling down and rebuilding the entire building,” he said.
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Throughout the visit, a huge crowd followed Mr. Rao, who was guarded by a posse of policemen, who also did not let the media get close to him. Other retailers, however, were not too impressed with the visit. “Our day’s business has gone due to the visit. He could have just come quietly and gone, but no, he has to come in a grand fashion, due to which the police block all roads,” said an irritated vendor, Sudhakar.
Others who visited the area along with Mr. Rao were Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali, State Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy, State Commercial Taxes Minister Talasani SrinivasYadav, along with some officials.