Asif Nagar a fortified town now popular for its naans

Asif Nagar is one of the oldest suburbs of the city and is located near Mehdipatnam. It is a part of the Old City. A lot of eateries line the roads and the area itself is famous for its naan centres, of which the Madina Naan Centre, which is as old as 60 years, is quite popular.

The area is also famous for wooden furniture. The furniture prepared here is exported across the globe. Hazrat Murad Shah Dholi Dargah at Muradnagar and the Asif Nagar Police Station, which are more than a century old, are a few famous landmarks in Asif Nagar.

Neighbouring areas of Asif Nagar include Aghapura, Bazar Ghat, Dhoolpet, Goshamahal, Gudimalkapur, Humayun Nagar, Jhirra, Jiyaguda, Karwan, Mallepally, Mangalhat, Mehdipatnam, Masab Tank, Muradnagar, Nampally, Sitaram Bagh, Tallagadda, Vijayanagar Colony and Shanthi Nagar.

The closest MMTS station is two kilometres away, at Nampally. Imliban Bus Stand and Jubilee Bus Stand are four and nine kilometres away. Secunderabad Railway Station is at a distance of eight kilometres, while the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is 25 kilometres away.

History

Asif Nagar was once a fortified town from Goshamahal to Golkonda Fort. At the beginning of Asaf Jahi rule, Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi (1671 – 1748) captured Golconda in 1724 from the Moghuls, and camped at a fort here, though his capital was at Aurangabad. Later it was renamed as Asif Nagar. He established the Hyderabad State and ruled it from 1724 to 1748. He is also known by his titles Chin Kilich Khan (awarded by Aurangzeb in 1690–91), Nizam-ul-Mulk (awarded by Farrukhsiyar in 1713) and Asaf Jah (awarded by Muhammad Shah in 1725).

Problems

Md Ariff, a resident of Asif Nagar, said that the residents of Muradnagar face problems with the sewage system during the monsoon. “Water stagnates on the roads and it becomes difficult for commuters and residents of the area to use the road. At times, drain water enters into people’s houses,” Ariff said. Residents lament that despite lodging several complaints with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), no efforts have been made to treat the rain water and rectify drainage problems. Also, there is a need to widen the Asif Nagar main roads as the road is to narrow to allow huge traffic and often notices jams.

By:Ch Saibaba