Chikkadpally A cesspool turned commercial centre

Chikkadpally is a major suburb and commercial centre. This place was once popular for scores of movie theatres which has now dwindled over the years. Majority of the residents who live here are Bramhins. Some of the major landmarks include Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple ( 1945 ), Sri Anjaneya Swamy Temple (100 years old), Thayagaraja Gana Sabha (1966), City Central Library (1960), T Anjaiah Karmika Bhavan, Labour Commissioner Office (1995) and Chandana Shopping Mall and More Super Market. Singer MS Ramarao used to live here and hence a street called Sundara Kanda MS Ramarao lane has been named after him. Chikkadpally is surrounded by Musheerabad, Ashoknagar, Naryanaguda and Baghlingampally.

The closest MMTS station is at Vidyanagar and Jamia Osmania. Secunderabad Railway Station is 6 kilometres away and is 25 kilometres away the Rajiv Gandhi International AirPort. The narrow and congested main road of Chikkadapally are being widened to make space for the upcoming Metro Rail project.

History

According to locals, Chikkadpally derived its name from Chikkad which means Burada in Telugu and Keechad in Hindi. Pally means place. Since Chikkadpally is in a low lying area, it is usually plagued by Chikkad (Burada) due to inflow of drain water from nearby nalas.

In the 1960s it was a nightmare to live or pass through the area in the rainy season as it was always submerged by water and Chikkad. In the course of time, the area developed in a phased manner which has now turned into a bustling resident and commercial centre of Hyderabad. Many people who have been living the area since the 1960s would remember the short films in black and white screened by the labour welfare centre where awareness on family planning and other government initiatives was showcased.

Problems

The major problem of Chikkadpally has always been the narrow and congested internal roads which is a major problem for the residents. Parking is a huge issue inside by lanes and people find it difficult to walk on roads as many vehicles block their way. As there is no assigned parking space, people park them in the bylanes which has always been a problem for the residents.

N Vidya Sagar, SHO, Chikkadapally, says, “Whenever we receive complaints about parking, we counsel the visitors against it and advice them to take up paid parking. In some cases we levy challans when vehicles block the main roads and bylanes.”

By:CH Saibaba