The holy month of Ramzan has begun, but for 35 Muslim families in Hyderabad’s Bistiwada area, it’s a month of hardships and struggles. These families, who are descendants of those who served the Nizam, are spending their days and nights on the streets, observing the Ramzan fast on the road.
Last month, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) pulled down their dwellings, leaving them homeless. The families, including children and senior citizens, are living with their belongings spread out on the streets.
These families have been living in the Bistiwada area for six generations, and they have power bills, water bills, and property tax receipts. Fouzia Sultan, a member of one of the affected families, stated that the land was allotted to her grandfather, an ex-serviceman, in 1951. The property was registered in 1981, and the problem started in 1996 when it was claimed that the land belonged to the government.
In 1996, a stay order was obtained, but on February 5 of this year, claimants to the property were asked to visit the GHMC office at Khairatabad. Upon reaching there, officials informed them that they had to leave the property along with their belongings by February 17.
