HYDRAA to raze more unsafe buildings in Hyderabad’s Anjaiah Nagar

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has identified several dangerous buildings in Anjaiah Nagar for demolition, days after a seven-storey structure collapsed in the same locality, Commissioner AV Ranganath said on Monday, August 24.

“We don’t know which building will collapse next. We have to act before there is loss of life. That’s why we are identifying and removing dangerous buildings in Anjaiah Nagar,” Ranganath said.

The HYDRAA chief, along with Kukatpally Zonal Commissioner Mayank Singh, inspected the site on Monday and reviewed the demolition of the collapsed structure and the buildings around it.

The building that came down on August 22

A seven-storey building in Anjaiah Nagar of Serilingampally mandal collapsed on Saturday, August 22, and an adjoining seven-storey structure was subsequently found to be unsafe. The Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC) and HYDRAA jointly began clearing the damaged building on Sunday, August 23, with the work continuing on Monday.

Residents have also flagged several other nearby buildings as unsafe to CMC and HYDRAA officials, and Ranganath said these too would be inspected and taken down if found dangerous.

The HYDRAA chief said the buildings’ structural strength had been compromised because they were built on plots that partly encroached upon a storm-water drain, with seven or eight floors constructed on 50-square-yard plots. Permissions had been granted for only two floors, he said, with the foundations and pillars laid accordingly, but builders had gone on to add seven storeys, well beyond what the structure could bear.

He said action would be taken against unauthorised buildings constructed in violation of norms, while ensuring that neighbouring structures were not affected.

Nearby hostels also found risky

Elaborating further, Ranganath said several hostels near Anjaiah Nagar’s storm-water drain had similarly come up without permissions. “Almost all of them are seven or eight storeys high, reaching around 25 to 30 metres. The foundations are very weak, barely suitable for two or three floors,” he said.

He cited a similar case about a year ago in Siddiq Nagar, where a nine or 10-storey building had developed a tilt. Many migrant workers from Bihar were living there at the time, he said, and the fact that the structure leaned against an adjoining building bought rescue teams enough time to evacuate everyone safely.

“Such incidents are happening regularly because of a lack of proper foundations and structural weakness. Combined with the height, these structures are prone to collapse,” Ranganath said, adding that CMC and HYDRAA were carrying out disaster mitigation work to prevent any loss of life among workers or residents.

NDRF assistance, hostels evacuated

He said those responsible had been identified and strict action was being taken with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), with heavy machinery and cutters being deployed to demolish and clear the affected structures safely.

Residents of adjoining buildings, including boys’ and girls’ hostels, have been asked to evacuate so that the demolition does not affect neighbouring structures or their foundations, Ranganath said, adding that local residents were cooperating with the exercise.

Officials said the demolition work had seen some delay as a precaution, with everyone in the vicinity evacuated in advance.