AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday, 5 July 2026, urged Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to immediately halt the proposed relocation of the Guddimalkapur Vegetable and Flower Market from Hyderabad to Aziz Nagar in Ranga Reddy District, warning that the move would devastate the livelihoods of nearly 10,000 families dependent on the market.

Context

Owaisi, the Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad, addressed his post directly to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and another official, calling for an immediate stop to the proposed shifting. 'This market caters to people of South and West Hyderabad District,' he wrote, adding that the relocation 'will affect the livelihood of nearly 10 thousand families.' He also flagged that the Chairman of the Market Committee was pushing the shift without adequate justification.

Owaisi further argued that the proposed move violates the Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1966, the central statutory framework that governs the powers of market committees over notified markets, including their relocation. He called the proposal 'against the rules of Market Act 1966.'

Policy Backdrop

The Guddimalkapur Vegetable and Flower Market has a documented history of relocation: it was shifted from Sabzi Mandi Karwan to its current location in Guddimalkapur, Hyderabad District, in 1991. That earlier move was carried out under the existing market regulatory framework of the time.

The Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1966, and subsequent state-level amendments, vest statutory market committees with authority over notified agricultural markets, including powers related to their administration and relocation. Any formal notification for shifting a notified market is required to follow prescribed procedures under this framework, making Owaisi's legal objection a substantive procedural challenge.

The proposed destination, Aziz Nagar, falls under Ranga Reddy District, which is adjacent to but distinct from Hyderabad District. Moving the market across district boundaries would significantly increase the distance for traders and consumers from the southern and western parts of the city who currently rely on it.

Stakeholders and Impact

The market primarily serves vegetable and flower traders, along with residents of South and West Hyderabad — areas that include densely populated, lower-income localities. Owaisi argued that the relocation would disproportionately harm these communities, both economically and in terms of access to affordable produce.

The Hyderabad MP also pointed to a broader pattern, noting that 'in the last 2 years, many government offices have been shifted from South and West Hyderabad,' calling this 'in itself unjust' and saying it 'sends a wrong message.' This reflects a concern — voiced repeatedly by AIMIM — that institutional and infrastructure decisions have systematically disadvantaged the old city and adjoining zones since the formation of Telangana in 2014.

The Telangana Congress government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy since December 2023, has not publicly responded to the specific allegation at the time of writing. The current status of the formal proposal by the Market Committee Chairman also remains to be confirmed through official channels.

What's Next

The immediate question is whether the Telangana government or the Agricultural Market Committee issues a formal response to Owaisi's intervention. Any official notification for the relocation would be subject to legal scrutiny under the Market Act, 1966, and could invite court petitions from affected traders.

Owaisi's public appeal raises the political stakes for the Revanth Reddy administration, which will need to either justify the proposed shift on procedural and public-interest grounds or reconsider it ahead of any formal notification. The outcome will be closely watched by trader associations and residents across South and West Hyderabad.