Sardar Mahal, a gift of love built by the sixth Nizam Mir Mahboob Ali Khan for one of his consorts Sardar Begum. It was never lived in as the queen, well, did not like the building. However, the building remains to be crucial as far as historians go. Now, GHMC has decided to develop it into a cultural center on a private-public partnership model.Just a little distance away from the Charminar, Sardar Mahal hasn’t got its due yet. MA &amp; UD minister KT Rama Rao has already laid the foundation stone for restoring the structure, and tenders have been invited. The building that was taken over by the government in 1965 due to outstanding property taxes was declared a heritage building by the Heritage Conservation Committee and INTACH.GHMC now wants to develop the building to maximize the historical, cultural, and tourist potential in the Charminar area. The project will be taken up on a build, operate, and transfer (BOT) concept, for which it has invited tenders. The detailed project plan would consist of broad context studies such as tourism, arts, and culture, including the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project (CPP), positioning of the heritage property in the overall tourism potential of Charminar and its vicinity, formulation of a detailed master plan for its development as a cultural center and identification of various activities based on the master plan and allocation of space for each activity.The concerned agency must also prepare a valuation report, a feasibility study report including project structuring, and a financial model for the project. The conversation has to be done in such a way that it does not disturb the facade of the building. Once the Heritage Conservation Committee approves the plan, the agency will then have to undertake restoration works.

GHMC Set to Restore Sardar Mahal, Nizam’s Token of Love

They work silently and slip into the shadows. Many of us wouldn’t even bother to look at their faces. Sanitation workers, rag pickers, and scavengers are among the most ignored in society. And they are also the most exploited as they are caught in a vicious cycle. While there are many start-ups in the recycling and waste management segment, there are none to handle the issues of the lowest segment of society. Addressing this very problem is Recykal Foundation.Recykal Foundation is the initiative of Hyderabad-based start-up Recykal. The foundation aims to provide dignity and identity to safai mitras by creating an ecosystem where they are given proper wages. They will also work at their next generation, being given the right skills and education.The foundation that intends to transform the lives of about 1 million safai mitras by 2025 has launched an initiative called Unnati SETU which stands for Social &amp; Economic Transformative Upliftment. It has already impacted the lives of 40,000 safai mitras by providing them one meal a day since Jan 26 this year in Gudimalkapur.Most of the workers are women, and child labor is rampant in this sector. Recykal Foundation wants to provide these workers identity cards which will help them take support from government schemes and open a bank accounts. They will also be provided education and training in vocational skills.The foundation also intends to collaborate with government institutions to expand its Swachhta Kendras, which are centers for waste material collection and channelization.

Recykal Foundation to Provide Identity, Dignity to Safai Mitras

Eid-ul-Adha or Bakrid is nearing, and those celebrating the festival are already in a fix with regards to getting a proper butcher on the day. On the first day of the three-day festival, there is a custom of sacrificing a sheep or goat or cattle, and there have been instances where people would be queuing up in front of neighbors’ houses to get the butcher.To address such ordeals, a Hyderabad-based mutton trader has come up with a one-week long course in sheep sacrifice and processing. The course will teach everything from the sacrifice process to skinning to cleaning and cutting the meat into small pieces.Al Amin meat shop in Tolichowki will be conducting this workshop, and when they first advertised on social media, they were flooded with calls asking for various details. Incidentally, the course is open for all above the age of 15. The manager of the Mart, Mir Arshad Ali, says the course is designed for common people. They will be charging Rs 2000, and the sheep and equipment will be provided during the process. Experienced butchers who have been doing it for decades will train the enthusiasts.As the sacrifice is a must during the festival, there is a huge demand for butchers who charge up to Rs 1000 to process one sheep. Butchers from neighboring Vikarabad, Mahabubnagar, Kurnool, Sangareddy, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, and Nalgonda come to the city during this time to deal with excess demand.

Learn Butchering Skills for This Bakrid

At this point in time, COVID is in control, at least in Hyderabad city. But in the past two years, the corona has impacted the lives of people in a big way. It led to financial and mental distress and took the lives of many. However, one issue that it has created is the increase in vehicles plying the city roads.Well, during the pandemic, there was much stress on social distancing, and given the situation then, many started using their vehicles to commute to the city. Though the pandemic has subsided, now the people are used to commuting in their own vehicles, and this is creating new social problems.There are heavy traffic jams, lots of pollution and less usage of public transport in the city. For example, if 5 lakh people used Metro prior to the pandemic, the number has fallen to 2 lakh right now. The railways have cut down on the number of MMTS trains due to a lack of demand. In the case of RTC, 4000 buses are used to ply the roads. But now, the number has been cut down to 2800.Another issue is that it has become extremely critical for traffic police to address traffic problems. If there is a jam for 10 minutes, the traffic movement is affected for two to three hours. At peak times, the situation is worse. All those who invested in their own vehicles during the pandemic are now reticent to use public transport. About 20 lakh new vehicles have been added to already existing vehicles.The problem does not end here. As of now, of the 6 lakh software employees, only 30 percent have returned to work. The situation would be worse when all of them return to the office!

COVID Causes Vehicular Chaos in Hyderabad City

The city of Pearls, Hyderabad, is known for its cultural diversity and historical legacy. This 400-year-old metropolis is blessed with monuments and delicious food, an amalgamation of Turkish, Mughal, and Arabic cuisines.Apparently, Mughals served 26 types of biryanis to their guests, but now we are left with only a few. Do you know how the very popular Irani chai has traveled all the way to Hyderabad from Iran?With hundreds of countless street vendors and restaurants, exploring the food in Hyderabad takes a lot of effort and time, but thanks to the food bloggers Ramya and Mandeep, whose page on Instagram called @thehungryindians with more than 70k followers shares a lot of valuable information to food connoisseurs and enthusiasts.The duo launched a series called 'The hidden gems of Hyderabad' in which they visit the oldest places in the city. Ramya and Mandeep have become historians to show us the city's rich food heritage being bloggers and writers. They just scratched the surface and updated many titbits while sharing their experiences with this series.

Finding Hidden Gems of Hyderabad Is This Duo's Passion

To add to the woes of the public, there is a severe shortage in the supply of petrol in the greater Hyderabad area. In many petrol bunks in the city, there are ‘no stock’ boards. Due to this sudden development, vehicle owners are facing problems.The problem arose after oil companies stopped credit facilities for petrol bunks. And since the owners did not have financial funds, they could not buy diesel and petrol. Also, though some bunk owners paid 100 percent amount, only 75% of the supply is being given. As of today, of the 800 bunks in greater Hyderabad, 300 bunks have been closed.In various localities in the periphery of the city, no stock boards have been put up, and bunks have been closed. If the situation continues, it is going to lead to a grave situation in the city. Also, the petrol bunk owners feel that running the bunks would turn into a problem. In places like Ibrahimpatnam and Yacharam, people suffered due to this sudden shortage.

Greater Hyderabad Faces Severe Shortage of Petrol

Little Dhruvan is barely five years old and speaks like any toddler. But he is not any toddler. He has just set a record for playing with 20 chess players at one go and winning against 19 of them. The tournament was held at My Scape Apartments’ courtyard in Nanakramguda’s financial district.To make his place among the ‘Noble World Record’ holders, Dhruvan played with 20 national-level chess players. The sports minister of state, Srinivas Goud, was present at the event and later presented the trophy, award certificate and reward. On behalf of Noble World Record, international chess arbitrator Chokkalingam Balaji supervised the event.Dhruvan happens to be the child of Kolla Swati and Kolla Srikant, and he has been practicing chess for just six months now. Ex MP Kambhampati Rammohan Rao, Roy Chess Academy director, trainer Rajasekhar Reddy and co-director Divyasri were also present at the event.

World Record At 5 By Playing With 20 Players

Fifty years and still going strong... on the busy street of Ghansi Bazaar in the Old City, one is engulfed by the aroma of freshly-fried jalebis and jhangris. The place has stood the test of time and is popular as ‘High Court jalebis.’If you ask any food-loving Hyderabadi about lip-smacking samosas and jalebis, then the ‘High Court jalebi’ shop is sure to top the list or will surely be mentioned in the top recommendations. Run by Pradeep Nath, the place offers the best samosas and jalebis.The place, a little eatery with no fancy elements, was started by Pradeep’s father in 1968. After working with a Hyderabad-based Hubli caterer for four years in Hyderabad, Pradeep’s father set up his own stall, and it was a hit from the word go.People came in huge numbers during those days, and even today, the place is bustling from 7 am to 11 pm when they shut shop. People from all corners of the city come to the place to enjoy snacks that are budget-friendly and are made with recipes passed over generations.The place has jalebis, samosas, and kachoris, and Pradeep follows his father’s recipes to the T even today. If you have jalebi cravings, you must come here and take delight in some interesting street food.

This Time, Do Try The ‘High Court Jalebi’

Gaming has become a vice of many youngsters, and in one such incident, a teenager played online games using his mother and grandfather’s money without their knowledge and lost Rs 36 lakh over a period of time.The said teenager happens to be the resident of Amberpet. He happened to download a free fire gaming app on his grandfather’s mobile phone a few months back. Since he had access to his mother’s bank account details, he used to play with small amounts initially.However, over a period of time, without the knowledge of his mother or grandfather, he started playing regularly and spent Rs 36 lakh on online games. The family finally came to know about his antics when they noticed that huge amounts had been withdrawn. The boy had withdrawn Rs 27 lakh from his mother’s account and Rs 9 lakh from his grandfather’s account.The woman then approached the Hyderabad Cyber Crime police and lodged a complaint. “We are writing to the company informing about the complaint made by the family, and we will see what can be done in the case,” says an official from the Hyderabad Cyber Crime department.

Teenager Loses Rs 36 Lakh Playing Mobile Games

It’s the digital age, and the pandemic has made the usage of money almost nil. Just about everybody has a payment app, and transfers are done through e-wallets. While the process is pretty easy, it is definitely not safe. And those bearing the brunt of spoofed sites are traders who seldom have the time to instantly check if the payment has been credited to their account.On a normal day, the traders are busy dealing with customers. So, they seldom check their account for balance details. They go by the amount transferred message, and this is where the spoofed apps come in. There are gangs and individuals who are indulging in these nefarious activities.Gangs usually create these spoof apps, and these are then circulated amongst them, and then they go about cheating the traders. Recently, Vanasthalipuram police caught two youngsters from Ibrahimpatnam who duped a mobile accessories shopkeeper of Rs 2800 after purchasing a few items. The duo incidentally tricked the trader using a spooked Paytm app.The police booked the youngsters under Sections 420 of IPC and 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act. They say that the fraudsters were now downloading spoofed apps of e-wallets from various platforms rather easily and then installing them on their mobile phones.Usually, these people visit a store, make purchases, and take details of the trader like phone number, shop name, amount, and other details in the spoofed app to create a fake payment notification. The spoofed Paytm app also sends a notification to the shopkeeper’s account, but no money is actually transferred, shares Cybercrime ACP (Hyderabad) KVM Prasad.As the shopkeepers are usually busy dealing with other customers, they check the notification and allow them to leave. And if the shopkeepers have any doubts, they simply slip away, saying there might be a delay in updating the bank account.Now, Paytm has listed a few measures to make sure the shopkeepers don’t get duped. Merchant partners can check details of every transaction, download daily or weekly reports, and also gain access to vital business information like estimated time of bank settlement, among other things. Paytm has also stated that a Paytm soundbox can be installed to get an instant audio confirmation for payments. The soundbox supports payments on Paytm QR codes through multiple payment modes like Paytm Wallet, Debit &amp; Credit cards, Net Banking, and BHIM UPI.Merchant partners must also check for the confirmation ticker on the Paytm app, the company says.

Spoofed Apps Turn Headache For Traders

Their story in Hyderabad or the Telugu states can be traced back to 1630 CE during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Banjaras, or the Lambadas known, migrated from Rajasthan to Deccan. When the Mughals fought the Qutb Shahi dynasty for power in the Deccan region, the Banjaras worked as grain couriers during the eight-year conflict between them.However, Aurangazeb defeated them and appointed governors for the Deccan region in Aurangabad. Eventually, in 1724, Asaf Jahi Nizams seized Aurangabad. And when Asaf Jahi traveled from Aurangabad to the Golconda kingdom, the Bhangi and Jhangi tribes followed him in 1,80,000 bullocks.In the same year, Mir Kamuddin Khan or Asaf Jahi 1 was crowned Nizam for the first time. As the Banjaras were not able to care for their cattle after the subjugation of Golconda to the Mughal emperors, Asaf Jah assured the Banjaras that their cattle would be cared for.Since then, the Bhangi and Jhangi tribes settled in the Telangana region and have been known for their colorful clothes. Their unique clothing happens to be beautifully done, with vibrant mirror work. While the men have been into small-time works, the women are known for their skills in making Banjara apparel which was very popular with the locals.However, when the Indian government took over the Nizam state, and an elected government came to power, the Banjaras were given pattas or land in a hilly region in the heart of Hyderabad. However, later as per historical folklores, knowing that the hilly region was prime property, the rich politicians bought the land back at throw-away prices from the Banjaras.Well, that’s the story behind the much sought-after Banjara Hills. The local Banjaras have retained their cultural roots, and many are now educated and well-placed.