The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : SCB on a demolition drive

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Tuesday, Jun 28, 2011
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

SCB on a demolition drive

Special Correspondents

Storm water drains indiscriminately encroached upon in most of the residential colonies
50 totally unauthorised constructions and 200 buildings being built with deviations detected

HYDERABAD: The Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) will soon start taking up demolitions on illegal constructions that have come up on the stormwater drains (‘nalas') flowing in its areas. Such unauthorised structures include not only modern buildings, but also car parking slots, shops, ramps and the likes at various places.

Senior Cantonment officials have identified quite a few of them at places like Kakaguda, Bowenpally, Asha Officers Colony, SAIL Colony and so on. They claim that storm water drains have been indiscriminately encroached in most of the residential colonies, also the reason why most face flooding during heavy rain.

In the last few days, the SCB officials have been on a demolition drive every day targeting constructions coming up sans any permission, those being built in deviation of the sanctioned plans and new structures coming up in the illegally converted old grant bungalows to function palaces.

Top priority

In fact, the current administration has given top priority to the drive acting against at least 160 constructions to bring ‘some order' to the rampant unauthorised constructions happening in the civilian wards of the Cantonment even over other public works. There also have been instances where the construction material was seized when blatant violations were detected. Close to 50 totally unauthorised constructions and 200 buildings being built with deviations have been detected among recent ones. “We have to bring some kind of control otherwise it will be extremely difficult to provide basic amenities,” explains SCB Chief Executive Officer S. Balakrishna.

Instead of depending on complaints, SCB officials themselves are scouting construction sites to verify before initiating action. Mr. Balakrishna himself has been undertaking morning visits to different colonies each day with his engineering, health and sanitation officials in tow to gauge the civic problems besides keeping a watch on illegal construction activity.

The SCB is also start ‘clearing' buildings that have come up on its own land and designated public spaces such as sites earmarked for parks, playgrounds and roads. “We have noticed encroachments in several colonies in such public spaces, Cantonment lands and even roads,” he points out.

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