Hyderabad: Gudumba makers await promised jobs, 2BHKs

Hyderabad: The rehabilitation of gudumba makers and lack of alternative jobs, land encroachments, illegal constructions are the major problems for the people of Mangalhat division.

The Mangalhat division is spread across one sq km from Gandhi statue near Purana Pul to Bhoiguda Kaman. The division has about 50,290 voters with a mixed population. The Lodh community is the key factor in the elections as their voting decides the winner.

The major problem has been the rehabilitation of gudumba makers after they were left jobless following the imposition of prohibition on gudumba by the government. Though the government had promised to provide alternative livelihood but it is yet to see the light. The local MLA T Raja Singh raised the issue in the Assembly session reminding the promise of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to visit the constituency. However, the rehabilitation process has not yielded any positive change.

The people in these localities depend on idol making for Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga festivals. This year the Covid pandemic fallout has resulted in the idol makers and traders suffering huge losses due to the lockdown restrictions on festivities. Susheel Singh, an idol maker said that their entire yearly earnings depend on these festivities but because of the pandemic they could not get business this time.

The other major issue is the double bedroom houses to be developed by the government. They have been waiting for the possession of the houses since 2014.

The irregular and contaminated drinking water supply and overflowing drainage has been a perennial issue here. "There is always a drainage overflow issue at Balram Galli but the authorities concerned never took initiatives to provide a permanent solution in spite of several complaints lodged. Besides this, illegal constructions in the area are a major worry but the officials have turned a blind eye to it, and the regular pleas by the locals to the authorities, said Dinesh Singh, a resident.

The locals said that there was a proposal to convert the TB hospital into a maternity hospital, but the proposal is still on papers. There was another proposal for constructing KG to PG institution behind the Rahimpura playground. The officials came and surveyed it but no one came later, added Dinesh Singh.

The locals here want the government to provide a relief package and employment as their only source of income is idol making and they have suffered heavy losses this year.