Businessmen, traders and youngsters are digging deep into their pockets to ensure that nobody goes hungry on the streets of Hyderabad. Hot food, dry ration, biscuit packets, buttermilk packets, water packets and other needs of daily use are being distributed throughout the city by legions of anonymous Good Samaritans as a fortnight-long lockdown to fight COVID-19 pandemic has immobilised lakhs of citizens and rendered them jobless.
“We are doing this for the sake of humanity. We wouldn’t want people to go hungry,” says a businessman from Masab Tank who wished to remain anonymous. As dozens queue up under the Toli Chowki Flyover, a lone constable ensures that people keep their distance from each other as the businessman’s family members ladle food on a plate and pass it on. “We are trying to have variety. Today it is bagara khana , a vegetarian curry and boiled egg,” says the businessman who has brought a cargo auto to haul the big vessels filled with the seasoned rice and curry.
On the road beyond Toli Chowki, four young men on a couple of two-wheelers distribute biscuit packets to the fruit vendors, hawkers and anyone they see on the road.
The street in front of Maitrivanam is completely deserted and two gentleman drive on a scooter and stop people loitering on the Ameerpet main road to ask if they need food.
“I have a food business and this is the least we can do for our society in times of crisis like this,” says Nagaraju, carrying 80 food packets.
Yards away, at the Annapurna Canteen, the supervisor says distribution of food by Good Samaritans has not affected them. “We are feeding about 500 people during lunch time and 300 people for dinner,” he informs.
“I have realised that many workers like these security guards and fruit vendors have no food available at this time due to the lockdown. I am distributing 200 food packets in this area,” says Kamaleshwar Rao, a builder, who has turned his van into a food cart for distribution in the southern part of the city.
Problem of plenty
In some areas, however, it is a problem of plenty as multiple agencies and individuals are distributing cooked food. The results can be seen near Nampally station, Road No.10 Banjara Hills and Tejaswi Nagar near PVNR Expressway.
The streets swept and scrubbed clean by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation workers are littered with half-eaten food packets, discarded food plates and unopened food bags by 3 p.m. “Around 100 people live here. Over the past few days, 10 to 12 groups are coming to distribute food. We don’t want to miss good food so everyone rushes whenever it is distributed,” says Mallesh who lives with his family of minstrels now rendered immobile.
