Hyderabad: A day after an illegal seven-storied building collapsed in Anjaiahnagar, Kondapur, work began late Sunday evening to demolish the damaged adjacent five-storied building, which too was constructed illegally in 50 square yards. HYDRAA officials said the demolition would take at least two days as the structure could not be brought down in one go.The five-storied building served as a hostel where about 70 people were residing. They were made to vacate on war footing citing structural issues.The demolition work has a had a ripple effect on several families living in the adjoining buildings. As a precaution, the C Block of Jayadarshini Society, which has around 25 flats, and Blocks C and D of Sterling Whitefield, each with 18 flats, were also vacated keeping the safety of people in mind, officials said.On Saturday, two workers had died after the seven-storied under-construction building collapsed. The two adjacent buildings, including the structure HYDRAA started to raze on Sunday, were damaged in the accident.The crash exposed how illegal structures have mushroomed in the area to cater for IT professionals looking for hostels. HYDRAA officials said that there was not even a 100-metre gap between illegally constructed buildings in the area.The demolition work on Sunday began around 5.30 pm after hours of preparation to shift the needed machinery. Officials said they were using controlled sectional demolition where holes are created in the structure and sections are brought down block by block with the help of a crane to ensure the safety of the surrounding buildings.A crane and an earthmover were brought in to clear the debris as the demolition progressed through the night. Officials said the debris would be cleared and the area levelled at a certain point, allowing the crane to move forward with the next stage of the demolition.Around 50 officials, along with personnel from the Disaster Response Force (DRF), police and GHMC have been deployed in the vicinity to secure the area and control the crowd. Residents gathered at the site and watched the demolition from a safe location.Cyberabad Municipal Corporation was in the process to identify other illegal structures in the same area.Meanwhile, Cyberabad Muncipal commissioner G Srijana has suspended Town Planning & Building Officer (TPBO) U Santosh Kumar for his failure to halt illegal constructions.Also, Raidurgam police on Sunday took into custody Syed Sajid, the owner of the collapsed seven-storied building. He was yet to be arrested. He was booked on the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
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