: The Musi river bed in the central parts of Hyderabad has become a money-spinner for muscle-men and anti-social elements. Though the river bed was earlier used as grassland to raise fodder for animals, its central location and growing land prices in the last four decades have caught the attention of goons who have taken control over the large extent of land to either use the same or sub-lease it to others to carry out a number of nefarious ‘trading’ activities. Many have made crores in the last couple of decades as there is check by government agencies.
Some local pahelwans at Puranapul constructed hundreds of single-room shanties in the riverbed. One of them constructed over 200 rooms in Maharajula Colony and nearby areas and is collecting ₹ 3000 as monthly rent for each shanty. Most of the tenants are from Uttar Pradesh , Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, who work as hamalis in Begum Bazaar and other trading centres.
In the Musi downstream area of Afzalgunj, the riverbed is being used as a paid parking lot for cars, cabs and other vehicles. This is patronised by families of patients coming to Osmania general hospital. The Shivaji bridge area, given its proximity to the State Central Library and MGBS, is a hub for a number of trading activities.
The musclemen have given the land on lease to others to carry out the business. The land is being used for parking of travel buses and passengers. Those who control the parking yard charge ₹ 400 per day for each vehicle.
This parkin.
