Hyderabad: Old City‘s traditional “labour addas” – the once-bustling congregation points for construction workers – are thriving again after years of stagnation, thanks to steady work generated by the ongoing Hyderabad Metro Rail construction and property owners’ projects.
Labour gathering points at Dabeerpura Darwaza, Yakutpura Bada Bazaar, Hari Bowli, Lal Darwaza and Chandrayangutta are seeing workers come back from areas like Bandlaguda, Shaheennagar, Vattepally and Kishanbagh, where they had moved due to lack of work in the Old City.
Veeriah, a mason in his late 40s, said he had stopped coming to the Hari Bowli labour adda seven years ago. “I was not getting regular work, so I moved away to a different place. The Metro rail works have opened up doors for us again, so many old people have come back,” he said.
The demand for workers has increased significantly.
Anjamma, a construction worker, said the Dabeerpura adda now sees most workers getting hired by 11 am. “There is massive construction activity in the surroundings due to Metro rail works,” she said, adding that people are willing to pay more due to the urgency of work.
The Old City Metro Rail project is a 7.5 km extension from the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) to Chandrayangutta under Phase-II. The project includes stations at Salarjung Museum, Charminar, Shalibanda and Falaknuma. Around 900 properties are affected by land acquisition, with compensation being disbursed. The project also involves Waqf properties.
Technical surveys, including GPS mapping and soil testing, are underway. Preparatory work like road widening and pillar marking is progressing, with authorities using special engineering methods to minimise impact on heritage structures.
