Hyderabad: Bizmen bear rain brunt

Hyderabad: While Wednesday early morning rain brought relief to people of Hyderabad, for those residing close to Musi River, near Nayapul bridge, it was nothing less than a nightmare. Water entered their shops situated at Afzalgunj and Osmangunj, damaging most stored goods. This happened the next morning after they celebrated Eid.

The downpour inundated several areas close the Musi, including Chaderghat, Puranapul, Nayapul, Malakpet and Koti for the next few hours. Besides, the Afzalgunj Road, MJ Market Road, Osmangunj, and the road near Osmania Hospital, all looked alike. Shop-owners whose stores are situated under Afzalgunj mosque faced a huge loss as stocks of dry fruits and other expensive food material was damaged due to water-logging.

While others were enjoying the pleasant weather, Afzalgunj and Osmangunj shop-owners were busy shifting their belongings to a safer place lest it be destroyed. While the drainage problem is already grave in city, the Nayapul stretch towards MJ Market further aggravated the shop-owners' woes. With the drain along the road lying blocked with mud rainwater finds easy way into shops.

"It has been more than three years now; again, and again Hyderabad is witnessing floods in which heavy loss of property and life is experienced every year. The State government is failing to prevent flooding and thousands of crores of rupees is being spent on flyovers and road development, but the government is failing to provide a basic drainage system to Hyderabad," said Mohammed, owner of Deccan Bahar Co.

"Very expensive dry fruits, perfumes, vermecilli, sewiya, agarbatti, olive oil and other material has been destroyed in floods resulting in heavy loss to more than five shops near Jama Masjid, Afzalgunj," said a shopkeeper, who has been jostling with problem of water-logging for the past many years.