Hyderabad: Roads, drains, power and infrastructure continue to remain major issues in these elections. Over glasses of juice, three entrepreneurs were discussing the damage done to the city over the years and whether the new government would work towards reasoning the problems.
Entrepreneur Rahul Agarwal said, “The image of the city has taken a beating. Earlier, people would appreciate the development work in Hyderabad. But the last 10 years put the city as well as the state on the back foot. The people of other states now look at us and wonder how we deviated from the path of growth.”
Power holidays were the biggest issue, complained J. Gynaneshwar, as it was taking work away from the industries.
He said, “Orders from other states are minimal because they know that due to the power shortage in Andhra Pradesh, the work will not be submitted on time. The power to industries must be channelised in such a manner that shifts are not affected. Power is the biggest issue for this state. Whoever wins the elections, has to address this issue first.”
While the problems may continue to exist after the elections too, industrialist Narender Lakkaraju, explained, “We are yet to hear about the means and methods to resolve the problems of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The problem of power and water is extreme and these problems will continue to sting both the states unless a proper plan is in place to meet the increasing demand. What is most important is a vision of how to resolve this problem. What is the plan for the two states? And that is a cause of concern.”
While development is the plank for them, the absence of methodology is a concern.
