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Farmers yearn for platform at Rythu Bazaar
Even as the Bharath Nagar Metro Station is getting finishing touches ahead of the inauguration on November 28, just beneath the station are close to 200 vegetable and fruit hawkers who are waiting with bated breath to get the 8X6 size platform at the newly constructed Rythu Bazaar. The Rythu Bazaar has 115 platforms.
Hyderabad: Even as the Bharath Nagar Metro Station is getting finishing touches ahead of the inauguration on November 28, just beneath the station are close to 200 vegetable and fruit hawkers who are waiting with bated breath to get the 8X6 size platform at the newly constructed Rythu Bazaar. The Rythu Bazaar has 115 platforms.
Among the 66 metro stations in the three corridors, a few are theme based and the Bharath Nagar station is designated as a farmer-consumer connect station. The Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) authorities constructed a swanky Rythu Bazaar with water and toilet facilities to accommodate the vegetable vendors who have been squatting on the road for close to three decades. A senior metro rail official said that the idea was to have a clean and green station and allow free movement for passengers.
The vegetable hawkers are awaiting a lottery to be conducted by HMR authorities for the platforms inside Rythu Bazaar. Speaking to The Hans India here on Friday, G Ramachander, a member of the Bharath Nagar Vegetable Market Association said, “We heard that the HMR wants to conduct a lottery on November 21 for allotment of platforms. We are yet to hear from them.”
Bala Mallaiah, another vegetable hawker said, “As of now, we sell vegetables on the road but we understand that HMR is going to collect Rs 3,000 per month which is on the higher side. We are planning to give a representation to reduce the amount of rent.” When asked, B N Rajeshwar, general manager, HMR said that no decision was taken on the rent to be collected.”
In the meantime, a new group of fruit sellers have started sitting at the place in the hope of getting a platform. The Bharath Nagar junction is famous for vegetable market. Vegetable vendors whose names have not been included are a worried lot and say that they would lose a source of livelihood as they would no longer be allowed to sell on the road.
When asked if the vegetable vendors would be able to pay Rs 3,000 rent, a senior official of HMR said that once the metro starts rolling, people from different parts of the city would converge and business would only soar. Moreover, the place would be maintained spic and span and would attract a cross section of people.
