Hyderabad building collapse: Town planning officer suspended
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Hyderabad: A town planning officer has been suspended after a seven-storey under-construction building collapsed in Hyderabad's Madhapur, killing two people and injuring several others.
The building collapsed in Anjaiah Nagar on Saturday afternoon. Cyberabad Municipal Commissioner G. Srijana on Sunday issued orders suspending Madhapur Town Planning Officer Santosh Kumar.
The Commissioner took action after the official allegedly failed to prevent illegal construction, resulting in loss of lives. Further action against the town planning officer will be taken following a detailed inquiry.
Srijana also directed the town planning department to immediately identify unauthorised constructions and take action against them.
Officials have been instructed to demolish structures built without permission or in violation of rules if they pose a threat to public safety.
The two victims were identified by police as Mahabat and Umesh, both from Madhya Pradesh. They had come to the construction site for tile-related work and were inside the building when it collapsed.
Rescue teams from the police, fire services, Disaster Response Force and Cyberabad Municipal Corporation continued clearing the debris for the second consecutive day on Sunday.
Officials are also assessing the structural damage caused to neighbouring buildings.
Meanwhile, Cyberabad Police have registered a criminal case against the building owners, Farheen Siddiqi and Sajid.
Based on a complaint filed by the Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC), the case was registered at Raidurgam Police Station under the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate.
The accused allegedly constructed the seven-storey building on 48 square yards without permission from the CMC. They reportedly owned only 38 square yards and allegedly encroached upon 10 square yards of an adjoining drain to construct the building.
In another development, the 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 had been constructed without permission.
Locals alleged that all the buildings constructed by builder Sajid were similarly built without proper authorisation.
Ranganath said all such buildings would be inspected within a few days and appropriate action would be taken.
With IANS inputs