Hyderabad’s IT corridor goes from being hub of activity to deserted streets

It being an extended weekend complete with a holiday on Monday for Lok Sabha elections, a major chunk of the populace here appears to have vanished at the wave of a magic wand.

Hyderabad: Over the past four days, the vibrant IT corridors of Hyderabad have transformed from bustling hubs of activity to eerily silent road stretches.

It being an extended weekend complete with a holiday on Monday for Lok Sabha elections, a major chunk of the populace here appears to have vanished at the wave of a magic wand. Right from Friday, the buzz in the market here started to dissipate, apartment flats getting locked and paying guest accommodations emptied, as people hit the roads.

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The corridor comprising Madhapur, Kondapur, Gachibowli and vicinities, and now stretching to Nallagandla and Tellapur, is primarily home for scores of IT and ITES companies apart from hotel, hospitality and financial sector.

Amidst the sleek skyscrapers and state-of-the-art amenities that adorn the central IT hubs, a myriad of dining establishments, PG accommodations, hostels, and pubs have flourished, catering to the needs of the burgeoning IT workforce. The ever-evolving nature of the area is evident, with new establishments cropping up every few months, mirroring the dynamic industry itself.

Like late last week, whenever an extended vacation comes up, it prompts a mass exodus of the city’s tech workforce, drawing IT professionals back to their hometowns or heading to different destinations.

While the corridor with hotspots such as DLF, Nallagandla, Ayyappa Society and parts of Gachibowli, are abuzz with activity from dawn to dusk and late into the nights, extended-holidays ends up metamorphosing it into a quiet and sedate corridor.

“I went around for breakfast to my usual favourite spots yesterday only to realise that they all are shut. I had to drive around some time searching for an eatery in Gachibowli which I never had to before as the entire place is lined with choicest of eateries,” said Rajita Nair, a software engineer.

A noticeable lull is indeed experienced here during major festivals like Diwali, Sankranti and other extended holidays. “Youngsters in PG accommodations and young families from other districts of the State or from other States, just lock out and go travelling whenever they get a stretch of holidays,” says a young software engineer, Tarun Chauhan.

“IT areas often experience a significant decrease in activity during long weekends or holidays, leading to quiet corridors compared to the usual bustling environment and that’s the reason you see food vendors put up their stall in other areas as they lack both vendors and customers,” said Reshma Shah, a senior analyst and risk officer.

Garima Sharma, a Research Analyst specializing in domain knowledge management points out that many companies have given a hybrid work model to the employees, hence the crowd is generally fluctuating. “During consecutive holidays, many opt for remote work or take leave, further contributing to the silence enveloping the IT corridors,” she adds.