City’s oldest market cries for attention

Mir Alam Mandi: The city’s oldest vegetable market is falling apart. The Nizam era market is known for fresh vegetables and people from far-flung areas make it a point to visit the market but the infrastructure is far from satisfactory. The historical arch that welcomes one to the market and holds a pride of place for the locals is a pale shadow of its glorious past.

Highlights:

• Oldest and first wholesale vegetable market in the city
• Farmers from Balapur and Shamshabad sell their produce here
• Fresh vegetables are the USP of the market
• Compared to other markets, the price is far less here
• The garbage around the market needs to be removed and a separate place be allocated to dump waste
• The arch needs to be strengthened and people should be barred from painting it. The restoration should be done using lime mortar.

With flakes of lime plaster falling off the arch and odd colors painted the arch is losing its charm with each passing day. There have been three inspections by the GHMC and other political leaders in the last two years’ but no restoration work has taken place at the mandi.

Ali a resident of Purani Haveli area says, “People from different parts of the city visit the market as one is guaranteed of fresh vegetables. This can be developed into a model market by creating good facilities while retaining the old-world charm.” Another resident Ahmed says, “The arch is the bright spot and it reminds one of a glorious past. It is these arches and minarets that give the old city a unique identity and the authorities need to do something quickly.”

The arch is posing danger to people and vehicles and it needs immediate repair before the monsoon sets in says Mayank, a resident of Shahalibanda.

By Syed Mujtaba Hussain Abidi