
Hyderabad: With the holy month of Ramzan almost coming to an end and markets abuzz with shoppers, lady hawkers on the stretch from Nayapul to Charminar struggle to earn a basic livelihood.
Though Charminar faces an extreme rush of shoppers in its areas, the shop owners tend to be apprehensive about the hawkers who appear out of nowhere during this season and occupy every bit of space on the road leading to major losses in their business.
However, not all of these hawkers are timely. Among them are a few elderly women who work throughout the night, sailing their small businesses not just in Ramzan but throughout the year.
One such person is a 60-year-old widow, who is a native of Mughalpura and sells plastic bottles and other plastic items to feed her family.
Speaking to The Siasat Daily, the woman says that she is a mother to five daughters and has no son.
“I have been doing business here for 10 years now and I manage to make Rs 200 by the end of the night,” said the woman.
She takes care of her grandchildren during the day and works throughout the night.
Another woman who came from Uttar Pradesh has set up a small jewellery stall in Charminar and lamented that the jewellery business used to be good during Ramzan until a few years ago but now there is hardly any sale.
While Charminar remains flooded with unmanageable crowds during Ramzan, some people sell cheap items in corners of the crowded area among big showrooms to feed their families.
In the run-up to Eid-ul-Fitr, shops remain in business until ‘sehri’ time. Recently, the Telangana government in an order permitted shops and establishments, except bars and clubs, to remain open 24×7, provided they obtain special permissions.
Many people prefer established shops to buy their needs and as a result, those setting up small businesses to avoid begging remain neglected.