HYDERABAD: What is essential for a person to sustain in daily life? A home and food, isn’t it? But in Rahmatnagar— a densely populated neighbourhood tucked within the glitzy Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency — these basics have become privileges.
As election fever grips the city, the mood in this corner of the constituency is one of frustration and fatigue. While residents in other parts of Jubilee Hills complain about water, roads and sewage, the people here are struggling for the very essentials — a roof over their heads and ration cards that would give them access to affordable food.
In the narrow bylanes of Rahmatnagar, 48-year-old Taahera Begum, a domestic worker, says: “I applied for a ration card in 2023. Every few months, I go to the office and they tell me ‘next month, madam.’ It’s been almost two years now,” she says, her voice breaking.
“Without a ration card, I can’t get the rice or free electricity. Everything has become costly — how are we supposed to survive?” she asks.
Another woman, Heena, a maid, nods in agreement. “The government promised us double-bedroom houses under the 2BHK scheme. They came, took our details, even inspected our basti. But nothing has happened since. We are still paying Rs 8,000 rent for a single room,” she says.
Genuine applicants left out
The Congress government claims to have issued 14,159 ration cards in the Jubilee Hills constituency. But residents allege that many genuine applicants have been left out. Without ration cards, they lose access to welfare schemes like free power, superfine rice distribution, and the Aarogyasri healthcare scheme.
“Every election, leaders come here and make tall promises,” says Ravi Kumar, an autorickshaw driver who has lived here for over a decade.
During his campaign in Rahmatnagar, Congress candidate Naveen Yadav said: “Issues are being exaggerated by rivals. We have implemented a majority of the six guarantees. Some technical delays in issuing ration cards are being sorted out. Files are moving now, and within the next few months, we will ensure every eligible family gets their card.”
While the BRS says that the government has completely failed to deliver on the six guarantees and has ignored the urban poor, the BJP says that Congress’s promises are just on paper, but no results on the ground. “People talk about big schemes and crores of rupees spent,” says Shabana Begum, a mother of three. “But for us, all we want is a home to call our own and ration on time. Is that too much to ask?”
With 70,583 voters, segments like Rahmatnagar are struggling for the basics. The campaign mood here is subdued. The people are tired of promises and skeptical of guarantees. As one local shopkeeper sums it up, “Every five years, they come with loudspeakers and smiles. Once the votes are counted, they forget that these lanes exist.”
