One of the sectors badly hit by the fall in brand value of Hyderabad thanks to the T-agitation and bifurcation is the ‘hotel industry’.
Hyderabad which used to witness a flurry of activity at hotels in the form of business conventions, annual days, and special events etc. is now showing a remarkable decline.
The primary reason say hoteliers is that Andhra based companies in Hyderabad prefer AP over Hyderabad for their meetings and conferences.
Says one businessman Raghunandan Chowdary from Vizag who runs a corporate communications firm with around 50 employees, “Yes, we had the annual celebrations of our company this time at ‘Hailand Resorts’ in Vijayawada.”
Questioned on the decision to not have it at Hyderabad which would have been convenient, Chowdary says, “I am from Andhra and my firm is registered in Andhra. Already my business has suffered because of the agitation. The future is out there (Andhra) and we have set up branches in Vizag and Vijayawada. I’d like to do everything possible to contribute to the economy of my State. Hence, the annual event at Hailand!”
Interestingly, the special status is not an issue for people like Chowdary and others.
“Special status is a political game now. Anyway, it is needed for investors from other parts of the country and MNC’s. Why do we need special status to develop our own State? It is our duty,” he says.
When pointed out that Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh too for the next ten years, he smilingly retorts, “It’s a temporary arrangement to prepare for the transition to Andhra. No point in paying taxes to KCR for the rest of your life when your own State needs every kind of assistance possible.”
