The civic body has begun tearing down the historic Mahbub Chowk Beef Market to make way for a new building. The wet market, which is over a century old, catered to the needs of the citizens south of the Musi river.
Shopkeepers, who are tenants at the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority-owned facility, said they were in the dark about when they could get back to business at the same site. “They are saying that they have arranged a temporary facility at Khilwat ground (near Chowmahalla Palace), but that area is less than a quarter of the space here. Most of our customers know only this place,” said Mohammed Raheem, a third-generation chicken shop tenant.
The new facility is being built at a cost of ₹36 crore. On Tuesday afternoon, an earthmover had brought down the rear portion of the building. The single-storey building with an asbestos ceiling held aloft by wooden rafters and multi-foliated arches was built at the turn of the 19th century.
Earlier, a Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University team, that went into the structural stability of the building, had noted: “In the event of heavy rains or due to minor earthquake, the structure may not withstand the load. The structure is in a dilapidated condition... not fit for living/occupancy.”
“A two-storey building adhering to the original architectural form will come up at the site. It will be more hygienic and airy,” said the architect involved in the reconstruction project. The work was scheduled to begin last December but was delayed as the shopkeepers could not be relocated by the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority. “Of the 143 shop owners, 40 had vacated but the rest held on to it. They are vacating now and the demolition is going on,” said the architect.
Prior to the construction of the market, there was an informal market of livestock, weapons, and ammunition in the area. It was during the reign of the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, that the market was constructed some time in 1890. A majority of the tenants of the shops pay a small sum as rent and have been in the business in the area for generations.
“All the tenants of these shops will get the facility back once we complete the project. We are measuring each facility so that there is no scope for complaint,” said a civic body official as other staffers oversaw the demolition of the market.
