HYDRAA targets risky hostels in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has turned its attention to private hostels being built as six- and seven-storey structures on plots measuring just 50 to 60 square yards, citing the risk they pose to residents.
The move comes after a seven-storey building collapsed in Anjaiah Nagar and another seven-storey hostel in nearby Siddiq Nagar tilted onto an adjoining house. HYDRAA commissioner A.V. Ranganath is preparing to take action against such structures.
HYDRAA plans to hold a meeting with hostel owners soon and work towards vacating hostels operating from tall buildings constructed on small plots and considered dangerous.
The move has gained urgency after a hostel building collapsed in Delhi on Sunday, leaving dozens of youngsters trapped under the debris, officials said.
Officials plan action against unsafe multi-storey hostel buildings
In Siddiq Nagar, construction of a hostel building began about two years ago when a man started digging pits for pillars. The excavation reached the pillars of an adjoining house, causing the house to tilt.
Ten families living in the house had to evacuate, fearing for their lives. Some residents jumped from the second floor and suffered injuries.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) demolished the building at its own expense on the same day. Following the incident, officials surveyed Siddiq Nagar and sealed 25 buildings that were under illegal construction.
Two months later, construction began on another five-storey building at the site of the demolished structure. The sealed buildings were subsequently converted into hostels. The man who had dug the pits for the pillars also constructed a six-storey building and rented it out as a hostel.
HYDRAA weighs demolition of risky structures
A similar incident has now put a three-storey house in Siddiq Nagar at risk. A person constructed a seven-storey building for a hostel on a small plot next to the house, and the structure tilted towards the adjoining property.
Ranganath said both buildings may have to be demolished.
He said people driven by excessive profit were putting occupants of neighbouring buildings at risk and stressed that such structures should be stopped while they were still under construction.
Officials estimate that Hyderabad has about 10 lakh unauthorised structures. Taking action against all of them is not feasible, he said.
The focus, therefore, should be on demolishing unauthorised structures that are at risk of collapse and six- and seven-storey buildings operating as hostels despite being constructed on small plots.
For this, the hostels operating from such buildings must first be vacated, HYDRAA said. The agency added that it would take action based on directions from the High Court and requests from municipal commissioners.
