After the Telangana government announced that
a ten-day-long lockdown would be imposed across the state from May 12, many migrant workers residing in Hyderabad are desperately trying to return to their native places, making use of the daily four-hour relaxation of lockdown restrictions, from 6:00 am to 10:00 am.
This resulted in huge queues at the bus stops where large crowds were seen waiting for buses today. The Secunderabad railway station was also brimming with people. Daily wage earners from other states as well as from Telangana's rural pockets reached the railway station well ahead of time, before 10:00 am, as they thought they would not be able to find trains after ten. Many were seen waiting under the shade of the trees around the station's premises.
People also made beelines for supermarkets and vegetable markets to stock up on essentials before the end of the relaxation period. Tiffin centres, small eateries, and liquor shops welcomed their fair share of visitors in the morning as well.
It was however the Old City area that was perhaps the busiest this morning. With Ramzan just a day away, many Muslim families made their way to gift shops and garment outlets for last-minute purchases.
The rush to finish errands before ten led to vehicular congestion across the city's main roads, making it difficult for the traffic police to regulate the traffic.
The lockdown has left the daily wage workers and small business owners of the state capital
worried about the impact of the measure on their livelihoods. Migrant workers have criticised the state government for announcing the lockdown just a day before its start as this has left them deprived of food, income and, in many cases, even shelter. They have deplored that the sudden lockdown, implemented without the provision of any relief or essentials, will only add to their problems.
Roadside vendors and fruit sellers have also been demanding that the timings of the daily relaxation period be extended. Those hawking perishable items point out that this perishable nature of their wares means that if they remain unsold, they often rot and go to waste, causing the sellers to suffer losses.
In the face of all this flak, the government today took an important step to help the city's poor. It has started to provide meals at Rs 5 under its Annapurna scheme for daily wagers and the homeless.