The Sunday Funday event on the Tank Bund stretch is passe. Citizens of Hyderabad have reclaimed the pedestrian space on the road without much ado. Every Sunday, for the past few weeks, a carnival-like air prevails on the 1.5-km stretch with families sitting down on the benches, clicking photographs and crisscrossing the road as vehicular traffic slows down.
Unlike weekdays, makeshift shops selling trinkets, toys, snacks, and a higher number of ice cream carts pop up on the pavement making it look like a fairground with the gazebo overlooking the lake bathed in colourful lights. “We are making good business for the past few Sundays. Today there are more people,” said a bhelpuri seller standing near Veeresalingam Pantulu statue at 10.30 p.m. A few children played with remote-controlled cars while a posse of policemen kept vigil.
“We are deploying more force on Sundays and holidays on the Tank Bund stretch for visible policing. Yes, the number is higher and a large number of people are turning up on the road,” said a Lake Police Station official.
This was a far cry from the time when the Sunday Funday event was choreographed on the Tank Bund stretch by blocking traffic in the evening hours beginning with August 29, 2021. The pedestrian-only zone led to traffic congestion on the Lower Tank Bund road, Basheerbagh, Hyderguda and other areas surrounding the Hussainsagar.
But this arrangement without official intervention has its drawbacks. Last Sunday, an hour after midnight, a police official was knocked down by a speeding car on the Tank Bund stretch. Video footage showed the police officer walking on the road when the car catches him off guard and he bounces off the bonnet of the vehicle.
Messages about the change in road use for a few hours or mobile barricades to slow down traffic could have easily prevented the accident. But for now, citizens want to have fun and enjoy the cool breeze by the Hussainsagar.
