Hyderabad’s Murgi Chowk Market reconstruction drags on, traders await new complex

Nearly three years after Hyderabad’s historic Murgi Chowk Market was demolished, traders are still waiting for the new complex. Delays in construction have displaced businesses, with some traders operating from temporary premises or roadsides while others have shut their shops.

Hyderabad: Nearly three years after the historic Mahbub Chowk market, popularly known as Murgi Chowk, was demolished for redevelopment, scores of traders continue to await the completion of the new complex.

The reconstruction has been progressing at a slow pace, leaving businesses displaced and livelihoods under strain.

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The 135-year-old market was demolished after it was declared structurally unsafe, with the Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA) taking up a Rs 36-crore project to rebuild the complex while retaining its distinctive heritage façade and iconic clock tower.

The proposed complex will comprise 292 shops across four blocks and include dedicated zones for meat and poultry businesses, along with modern drainage and wastewater treatment infrastructure.

Officials attribute the delay to budget constraints, prolonged monsoon spells that affected construction activity, the complexities involved in restoring a heritage structure, and technical issues encountered during execution.

A senior QQSUDA official said the ceiling works were underway and that the restoration could not be rushed as it required careful execution to preserve the building’s original architectural character.

As an interim arrangement, traders were shifted in 2022 to temporary premises at the old Pension Office and the Khazana-e-Aamira grounds in Khilwat without being charged rent.

However, only a section of the displaced traders could be accommodated, while many others have been compelled to operate from roadsides or have shut their businesses altogether.

“We were shifted after being assured that the new market would be completed within a year. Even today, the works remain unfinished,” said Shareef, one of the displaced traders.

Mohd Kaleem, who has been running his business from the temporary site in Khilwat for the past three years, said the prolonged delay had taken a toll on traders.

“Only a few of us got space in the temporary market. Several others are doing business on the roads, while some have closed their shops because they could not sustain the losses,” he said.

Built in 1892 during the reign of the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahbub Ali Khan, Mahbub Chowk Market was initially known for trading groceries, birds and antique goods before evolving into Hyderabad’s best-known meat and poultry market, earning the popular name “Murgi Chowk”.

Before demolition, it housed 198 shops. The redeveloped complex is expected to provide 292 shops with improved civic amenities while preserving the market’s heritage character.