Hyderabad: Poll-wary Asad takes up development works in Old City

Hyderabad: In view of the ensuing Assembly elections in the State, old city in Hyderabad is witnessing various development initiatives, spearheaded by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). Asaduddin Owaisi, the party president and Hyderabad MP recently inaugurated several development projects worth over Rs 125 crores within the last three days in the old city.

Despite ongoing discussions about the perceived lack of development in the old city, various developmental programmes have been initiated, with several more projects in the pipeline aimed at enhancing its infrastructure.

As the elections draw closer, the MIM has kicked off its campaign in earnest. Based on its past electoral performance and the predominantly Muslim demographics of the constituencies in the old city, the Majlis party seems unassailable. Over the past few days, Owaisi has inaugurated numerous projects, accompanied by appeal to the community to stand united. He emphasised the importance of preserving the political platform to enable MIM and BRS to continue addressing their constituents' concerns and undertaking further development initiatives. 

Asad Owaisi has been actively engaged in on-ground efforts over the past several days. He has been passionately discussing development projects, addressing public gatherings to gauge the current state of affairs and rally support. His amicable alliance with BRS and strategic targeting of opposition parties indicate that the AIMIM leadership is fully geared for the upcoming elections. Political analysts suggest that the AIMIM is poised to maintain its stronghold in the seven Assembly seats it currently holds and potentially secure additional seats in the upcoming elections.

In last few days, Asad inaugurated various projects in old city including works worth Rs 76 crore in Nampally, Rs 2.90 crore in Santosh Nagar division, Rs 16.95 crore in Yakutpura, Rs 2.17 in in Puranapul, Rs 2.58 crore in Talabkatta, Rs 3.72 crore in Pathergatti, Rs 4 crore in Bahadurpura, Rs 4.85 crore in Kishanbagh, Rs 4.62 crore in Charminar, among others. On the representation of AIMIM, the Old city got its IT Tower in Malakpet worth Rs 700 crore. The tower, named iTEK Nucleus, is a 30-storey building with a built-up area of 15 lakh sq ft.

It has been observed that, as a part of the Strategic Road Development Programme (SRDP), strengthening of the road network in the old city area is going on at a brisk pace and several flyovers, and construction of roads have been completed. The drinking water supply in the Old City has significantly improved in the last eight years and more than Rs 1,200 crore was spent for the same. Over 2.5 lakh tap connections were provided in the old city under the free water supply scheme. 

Following a request from MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in the last Assembly session, the State government allotted Rs 100 crore to QQSUAD (Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority) from HMDA for development. Earlier, the government already released funds of Rs 150 crore from HMDA specifically for road widening works, specifically those abutting Charminar.

Moreover, medical facilities and infrastructure in older parts of the city received a major boost with the State government sanctioned works estimated cost Rs 240 crores.

Recently, Minister K T Rama Rao said that irrespective of political affiliations and areas, the development of the entire Hyderabad was the ultimate motto of the State government under development vision. For over four decades, AIMIM has been a prominent force in Hyderabad politics, maintaining a stronghold that has remained impervious to political shifts and changes in leadership within the State. Given the significant concentration of Muslim voters in the State capital and certain districts, the party holds the potential to sway the outcome in nearly half of the 119 Assembly constituencies