The Hindu Telangana (Hyderabad) 28.09.2016
240 illegal structures demolished in Hyderabad
LAW WAKES UP:Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation workers pulling down an illegal structure on Tuesday.— Photo: Nagara Gopal
In a swift move, the Telangana government razed down
more than 200 illegal structures on a single day on Tuesday in various
parts of the Greater Hyderabad region.
The Telangana
government, which had promised to act severely on encroachments and
illegal constructions on nullahs and lakes, sent squads comprising
municipal, revenue, police and other department officials to remove
structures in all the 24 circles under the control of the civic body. In
two days, the number of illegal structures demolished crossed 240.
In
some areas like Gachibowli, Banjara Hills, Malkajgiri, Ashok Nagar,
Yellareddyguda, Balanagar and Kapra, residential and commercial
structures built on nullahs were demolished. In Deepti Sri Nagar in
Nizampet, which was flooded in recent rains, four buildings were brought
down.
The squads also pulled down unauthorised
floors and buildings. Pillars and floors were broken down in Somajiguda,
Kawadiguda, LB Nagar and other areas. A number of dilapidated
structures were also bulldozed. The squads were instructed to initially
go after illegal structures that were commercial with no court order in
their favour.
Some
residents tried but failed to prevent the authorities from carrying out
the demolitions. Property owners argued that the drive was illegal as
they were not given prior notice.
Responding to the
State government’s call for information on illegal constructions, 118
complaints were received on the GHMC helpline.
The
government has kept 3,639 houses ready for BPL families who will be
affected in the drive. These houses, located on the city outskirts in
Qutbullapur, Shamshabad and Bandlaguda, were built under the JNNURM
housing scheme. GHMC officials also conducted a check on 379 hotels and
slapped Rs 1.4 lakh in penalties for offences such as illegal dumping of
waste.