GHMC forms 18 multi-disciplinary demolition squads

Hyderabad: GHMC commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy on Sunday issued orders to all circles in the corporation limits to immediately form multi-disciplinary demolition and enforcement squads with officials of town planning, police, revenue and irrigation departments.

The squads will go into “mission mode demolition drive” from Monday, though the commissioner was not sure of actual demolition starting on the day. The squads will remove unauthorised constructions, encroachment of public spaces including on roads, nalas, parks, tanks, open lands, and demolish structurally unsafe buildings.

The 18 enforcement squads, each to a circle, will be convened by the assistant city planner of GHMC and will comprise the GHMC deputy commissioner, ACP, deputy collector or MRO, executive engineers of GHMC and Irrigation, HMWSSB manager and representatives of TS Southern Power Distribution Com-pany Ltd as members. Each squad will be provided with a mini-truck for movement of men and material, six hired labour, hammers, drillers and power saws.

Demolitions will be in many phases
GHMC commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy on Sunday issued orders to all circles in the corporation limits to immediately form multi-disciplinary demolition and enforcement squads.

Mr Janardhan Reddy said, “We have written to the police commissioner to provide policemen to tackle any resistance. The demolitions will be done in phases. We need to identify the encroachments. On Monday the process of formation of squads will begin. We have short-term and long-term goals. Zeroing in on prioritised structures that will help in reaping maximum benefits in removal of encroachments is the short-term goal. In the next few months the goal is to remove encroachments in nalas, tank beds and low-lying areas.”

He added, “Revival of nalas and tank beds by removing encroachments all over the city will take five to six years. Land acquisition, land compensation, rehabilitation are all part of the process.”