Hyderabad, Aug 23 (IANS) A town planning officer has been suspended after a 7-storey under-construction building collapsed in Hyderabad’s Madhapur, killing two people and injuring some others.
The building collapsed on Saturday. Cyberabad Municipal Commissioner G. Srijana issued orders on Sunday suspending Madhapur Town Planning Officer Santosh Kumar.
The Commissioner cracked the whip as the official failed to stop illegal construction, resulting in the loss of lives. Further action will be taken against the town planning officer following a detailed inquiry.
She directed the town planning department to immediately take steps to identify unauthorised constructions and take action.
Officials have been directed to demolish structures constructed without permission or violating the rules, endangering public safety.
An under-construction building collapsed in Anjaiah Nagar on Saturday afternoon, killing two people and injuring some others.
The victims were identified by police as Mahabat and Umesh, both from Madhya Pradesh. They had come to the site for tile-related work and were inside the building when it collapsed.
Rescue teams from police, fire services, Disaster Response Force and Cyberabad Municipal Corporation continued clearing debris for the second day on Sunday.
Officials are continuing to assess the structural damage to neighbouring buildings.
Meanwhile, Cyberabad police have registered a criminal case against building owners Farheen Siddiqi and Sajid.
On a complaint by the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC), a case has been registered at Raidurgam Police Station of Cyberabad Police Commissionerate.
The accused allegedly took up construction of the 7-storey building on 48 square yards without permission from CMC. They owned only 38 square yards and allegedly encroached 10 square yards of an adjoining drain to construct the building.
In another development, Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has reportedly identified 10 unauthorised constructions in the same area and initiated steps to demolish them.
HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath said on Saturday that many buildings in Anjaiah Nagar have been constructed without permission.
Locals said that all the buildings constructed by builder Sajid were like this. The HYDRAA Commissioner said that in a few days, all these buildings will be inspected and appropriate action taken.
–IANS
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