Hyderabad: The heavy rains in Telangana since July are casting its shadow on the businesses in the city with many traders complaining of low business if not losses.
The state witnessed heavy rains in July and August months with street flooding as never before. Due to downpours, people remained indoors and tourists stayed away from the markets even on weekends.
“Shoppers stayed away from the markets during the past two months. We did not report good business during the months and found it tough to manage the expenses,” complained Syed Shaukath, a cloth trader at Pathergatti.
The markets at Pathergatti, Madina Building, Gulzar Houz, and Charminar attract people from all around the country. Domestic tourists also go and make purchases.
Due to heavy rains and constant alerts people preferred to avoid venturing out during weekends and holidays depriving businesses of revenue.
“During rainy days markets were closed down early by 8 pm against regular business timings of 10 p.m. So again late evening business was also hit,” lamented Mohd Mohsin, a trader at Laad Bazaar Bangle market.
Traffic slowdown and long traffic jams due to bad road conditions are other reasons people prefer to stay away.
“People nowadays check traffic situations using Google Maps. On noticing traffic is haywire in the city they just drop the plan to go shopping,” explained Wajahat Hussain, a trader at Gulzar Houz.
Around 4,000 shops run from Nayapul junction to Shahalibanda and around 2,000 small-time traders conduct their business on the stretch.
The most affected are the local vendors or pushcart vendors who sell small items on the streets and earn their livelihood.
“On someday, we just took home Rs. 200 while we managed to earn Rs. 600 to Rs. 700 a day on a good business day,” said Nayeem, who sells ladies accessories near Charminar.
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