Net gain for the safety net business

HYDERABAD: Amidst huge losses being made by business establishments due to frequent bandhs, one kind of business has been thriving due to the Telangana agitations- safety nets.  Malls and other big buildings in city are now covering them them with these nets. The nets can bear up to 100 kg weight and are perfect to protect buildings from stone-pelting. The net is made of pure nylon and very similar to a fishing net but a touch thicker to bear the weight of stones.K Anand, managing director, Arthi Enterprises is one who triggered this trend. Recalling how it all began, Anand narrates his company provided nets to the GVK mall when the establishment’s parking lot was to be built. “A 6-floor underground parking lot was to be built and to dig land, they had to use dynamites. Care had to be taken that pieces of stones wouldn’t fly into the main road. Hence, it was suggested a construction net be erected around the building to avoid particles from flying about. This idea later turned out to be handy later and the construction net was slightly modified into a safety net,” said Anand. It increasingly became a trend to put up safety nets in the city. “At present, safety nets record the highest sales among all our products after construction nets,” Anand adds.  Lunia Exim is another company into the business of making safety nets. Its in-charge Manoj Tiwari says that sales picked up after the Telangana agitations began. At present, his shop sells around 40 to 50 nets per month. Other dealers say two years ago there wasn’t much business for this. As agitations picked up, the business has accelerated. There are around 10-15 dealers in the city who sell these nets. A place as big as the GVK mall needs about 58,000 sq feet of net to wrap the entire building. Inorbit mall, Lanco, Big Bazar, Apollo and Star hospitals, Audi showroom and Aircel buildings are a few others who are using these nets.