Hyderabad: With Ramzan fast approaching, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is now busy finishing a portion of the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP) before shoppers and worshippers alike begin to flood the area.
Ramzan is likely to be in over 20 days. Sources from the GHMC said that the Old City, in general, and Charminar, Lad Bazar, Pathergatti and Shalibanda areas in particular witness a spike in footfalls throughout the day and night during the holy month. This, they said, has prompted officials to speed up work.
"The government is keen to finish the CPP according to stipulated time lines. While work for laying granite and cobblestones along the Gulzar Houz and Charminar stretch has already begun, we are going to finish other work such as underground cabling soon," said superintending engineer (SE) D Shiva Raj.
The work will entail digging at a designated stretch and laying a polyvinyl chloride (pvc) pipe and running other cables from within. "We intend to finish the work before Ramzan," he added.
Also on the anvil is the connection of lateral sewer lines to the main line along the Gulzar Houz - Charminar stretch. "While the main line was laid around 10 years ago, the connection of lateral lines to the main line was one of the demands put forward by the traders," the SE said. Once the work along Gulzar Houz - Charminar stretch is done, the officials plan to being similar activity along the Lad Bazaar - Charminar stretch on the west.
But while things are proceeding smoothly, a major cause of concern, the relocation of thousands of traders along the CPP corridors, is yet to be worked out. Sources who did not wish to be identified said that a high level committee comprising public representatives and other officials will be held to discuss the modalities.
"It is likely that minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development K Taraka Rama Rao along with others will take a call on the issue," the source said.