CHANGING FACE: Pre-cast cement ducts kept ready for the underground cabling works at Laad Bazar near Charminar.

Hyderabad: Getting an unhindered view of Charminar from Laad Bazar will not be a problem anymore. The maze of criss-crossing wires that mar the beauty of the monument will be a thing of the past soon as the much-delayed Laad Bazar beautification project is all set to take off.

Work on underground cabling, a major component of the Charminar Pedestrianisation Project, was inaugurated on Thursday by former MP and Majlis president Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi.

Rs. 49.9-lakh project

The Rs. 49.9-lakh project, which envisages laying of pre-cast ducts for electricity, telephone and other cables was expected to be completed in four months.

In the first phase underground cabling would be done between the Laad Bazar-Motigalli stretch.

In all 690 pre-cast ducts would be laid at a depth of 1.25 metres in three rows. Each row would have 230 ducts for carrying different cables.

"The work will be carried out mostly during nights causing minimum inconvenience to traffic," said A.S. Ratnakar, deputy executive engineer, MCH.

Rousing welcome

The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen which holds sway in the old city, used the occasion to accord a rousing welcome to its supremo.

Mr. Owaisi came in a huge procession and was profusely garlanded all along the way. Shopkeepers had set up stages at different points on the Patharghatti road and near Laad Bazar to welcome the Majlis leader.

To accompaniment of drumbeats and bursting of firecrackers, party workers and traders received the `Salar-e-Millat'. Charminar MLA Syed Ahmed Pasha Qaudri and former party corporators were present on the occasion. Mr. Owaisi unveiled the plaque and left without speaking.

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