The once-bustling Malakpet government quarters have now fallen into disuse. A few blocks are being utilised as office spaces by the RTO and GHMC to save on rent, while others have turned into locations for shooting eerie scenes.
HYDERABAD: The once-bustling Malakpet government quarters have now fallen into disuse. A few blocks are being utilised as office spaces by the RTO and GHMC to save on rent, while others have turned into locations for shooting eerie scenes.
Former residents recalled that there was once high demand for allotment of these quarters, popularly referred to as the Andhra quarters. After state bifurcation and the hike in salaries and house rent allowance (HRA), many employees vacated the premises and shifted to houses offering better facilities than the quarters built in the 1960s and 1970s.
“Given the high HRA, we thought it was better to move out of the quarters and purchase a new house and pay EMIs for it,” said N. Aruna, a retired government employee.
With a large number of quarters abandoned, locals have raised serious safety concerns, particularly in the evenings, as deserted roads have turned into dens for tipplers. A resident of C Block said that although some youth create disturbances, police patrols are frequent.
K. Murali, a gazetted officer who studied at Nehru Memorial School located amidst the quarters, recalled: “The area was lively till 2012. Now several quarters are either demolished or turned into dumping sites. The doors and gates have already been stolen by unknown individuals,” he added.
Earlier, the colony was known for its institutions and cricket and football grounds. Today, only a few people use the grounds, while the nearly deserted colony has become a spot for movie and short film shoots.
Several youths are often seen clicking pictures along the quarters’ roads. “We come here regularly because the roads are calm and we can get beautiful pictures,” said Md. Afroz, a local youth.
Government offices including the RTO, GHMC Moosarambagh circle office, Malakpet police station and pension office were recently shifted to renovated quarters to save on rents.
A large portion of government land near the metro station remains unused. “The government should make use of it to develop a commercial complex or IT office space,” Murali suggested.
