Hyderabad: The removal of barricades around the Formula E race track came as a relief to commuters who had a tough time being diverted to other lanes to reach their destination. Not only commuters, but also hawkers, appear to be delighted and back in business, with bustling activity across the sidewalks.
Deepak Belel, owner of Desi Cheeni, a food truck near Jalavihar, says the barricades reduced his business by nearly 60%. “We have about 130 customers come over on weekends but were disappointed to see only about 50 turn up,” he said, adding that he had to throw away most of the food and meat purchased for the day. “Customers had a difficult time navigating various bylanes and routes to reach us, resulting in some of them giving up their businesses,” he lamented. However, things appeared to be looking up for several hawkers by Monday evening.
Hawkers who found it difficult to get customers for their ice cream, ‘panipuris’, and momos, among other things, are relieved to be back in business. “I had no customers on any of the three days – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,” rued Anil Madapa, who owns a pani puri stall near NTR Gardens. Many vendors, including him, who had their stalls behind the massive stands that prevented customers from reaching them, were forced to relocate their stalls.
Arvind Singh, who sells ice cream on Eat Street stretch, makes Rs 300 for every Rs 1,000 sold. He returned home empty-handed the first two days and chose to spend Sunday at home.
Gopal Yadav Attena, a bike taxi driver, was having so much trouble on Friday that he cancelled or refused any rides that came his way.
“However, I wish the roads weren’t as congested as they are now, causing traffic jams on a regular basis,” he added. Jyoteshwar Endla, who commutes from Secunderabad to Ranigunj every day for work, is pleased that the race has helped to smooth the road for motorists like him. “The roads are cleaner and better, with few to no bumps,” he said.
However, the hustle and bustle along this stretch has definitely decreased; hawkers believe this is due to some people being unsure when the road will reopen. Some were even unaware that the race was a trial for the actual race in February. “I had no idea this would happen in December and February. This would be disastrous for us, but at least we’ll be better prepared now,” he said.
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