Hyderabad District Congress Committee (DCC) President Sameer Waliullah on Monday, August 14, said that in view of the upcoming Telangana Legislative Assembly elections, the party has identified the challenges faced by residents of Old City. According to a survey conducted by the Congress in collaboration with local groups, 60% of the Old City's 58 lakh populace live in slums. Of these, 74% are tenants, and only 26% own their homes.
The DCC said that they will come up with a standalone declaration in collaboration with NGOs, Muslim organisations, and local Dargahs like the Peeli Dargah Society, similar to the ones made for farmers, women, and other groups, and will submit it to the Congress party for inclusion to their election manifesto.
“Even with regards to medical infrastructure, the state government has set up Basti Dawakhanas, but there are neither fully present doctors nor medicines available. A separate declaration is necessary in view of the fact that the politics of Old City are very different from the politics of Telangana,” Waiullah told TNM.
The DCC statement claimed that 15% of children in Old City drop out of schools between 5th and 10th grades while the capital city of Hyderabad accounts for 33% of chronic diseases with Old City witnessing 50% of them.
"The BRS government has promoted alcoholism and neglected the Old City's development over the past nine years. The Congress will offer pragmatic solutions that will not just serve as superficial promises but have the potential to fundamentally transform the face of the Old City in the next five years," Waiullah added.