HYDERABAD: Protesting against forcible shifting of vendors from the Erragadda Sunday market to the Sanathnagar Industrial Park area on Sunday last, former minister Marri Shashidhar Reddy urged GHMC commissioner B Janardhan Reddy to restore status quo ante with respect to the functioning of ESM as it did till the previous Sunday (Feb14) and not to interfere with it.
In a representation submitted to the commissioner on Thursday, Shashidhar Reddy urged him to examine any complaints made either by the Czech Colony residents or others with respect to the arrangements of the ESM stalls and redress them appropriately.
He alleged that the market was shifted on oral instructions from minister T Srinivas Yadav to officials of GHMC, Circle 10A, Khairatabad and ACP (L&O), Balanagar.
He demanded transfer of the officers involved in this operation. Since central zone commissioner Gaurav Uppal was not aware of any such move, Shashidhar Reddy sought clarification on unwarranted and forcible eviction of vendors.
The Sunday Market at Erragadda has been in existence for almost 100 years. Catering to the needs of the common man, it has grown over the years with over thousand vendors setting up temporary stalls on Sundays.
These stalls, which used to be set up on the main road in Erragadda area, spilled over to the road leading from Erragadda to the Sanathnagar Bus Stand (road opposite Sanathnagar Industrial Area).
“You may seek a report from the zonal commissioner, Central Zone, on this. The entire area was made to look like a war zone with scores of gun and lathi wielding policemen. Some traders were intimidated at gun-point. The entire Town Planning wing and ACP, Balanagar played active role in this operation,” he added.