The Hyderabad police said that traffic restrictions were going to be imposed in the city from 5 pm to 10 pm on Friday, due to the Christmas dinner being hosted by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at LB Stadium.
In a traffic advisory, the police said that traffic from AR Petrol Pump Junction would not be allowed towards BJR Statue and will be diverted towards Nampally and Chapel Road, while traffic coming from Abids will be diverted at SBI Gunfoundry towards Chapel road.
The advisory also said that traffic coming from Old MLA quarters will be diverted at Basheerbagh Junction towards Liberty. The police said that designated parking areas were marked inside Public Gardens and Nizam College Grounds.
“All guests are advised to co-operate with traffic police in parking their vehicles in the above parking slots designated for them. Also, citizens are requested to take alternate routes to reach their destinations and avoid the above routes during the specified timings and co-operate with the Traffic Police,” the advisory stated.
The Christmas dinner is an annual event held by KCR. Last year, 2 lakh clothes were distributed to two lakh Christians, with dinners organised in all big churches in the state, at the government’s expense.
In June this year, activists in Hyderabad were up in arms against the Telangana government’s annual Iftar party held in the city for Muslims on June 8, stating that it was a ‘misuse of public funds’.
Last year, activists had moved the Hyderabad High Court after it was learnt that funds of the Minority Welfare Department, meant for poor minorities, was being used to throw a lavish party for the elite.
One of the petitioners, Dr Lubna Sarwath, General Secretary of the Telangana unit of the Socialist Party (India), said that the Telangana Legislative Assembly passed a budget of Rs 60 crore for 'Dawat e Iftar and Christmas Feast' for 2018-19, dubbing it as 'Minority Welfare'.
“It is a shame that such a squander of funds and insensitivity to 'minority welfare' is being sanctioned through the Budget being passed by law makers of all political parties without any question on the need of Rs 60 crore being allocated for a feast,” the activists said in a statement.