Hyderabad: Case filed on civic babu after complaint on wall is ignored
Hyderabad: A resident of Sultan Bazaar has filed a complaint against the GHMC Central Zone commissioner for alleged inaction regarding a dilapidated wall. The complaint has been filed under IPC Section 336 (endangering life or safety of others), which is cognisable offence. The complaint, 104/2017, was filed with the Sultan Bazaar police station on June 15.
The resident, Umesh Kumar, had first moved the GHMC in September 2015, but to date was action, he said, Mr Kumar’s house shares a wall with the dilapidated structure, which is over 100 years old. It was abandoned 10 years ago, and its owners have failed to maintain it, Mr Kumar said.
“Last monsoon, a storm damaged the wall and pieces from it fell on our roof,” Mr Kumar said. “It is common for bricks to fall from the 30-foot high into our home. If the wall crumbles, imagine our fate,” he said.
Mr Kumar first filed his complaint on the GHMC website. When there was no response, Mr Kumar personally visited the GHMC office. He filed an RTI petition to know the status of the demolition plans.
“We approached the police because GHMC’s lethargy and negligence was endangering people’s life,” said Mr Vijay Gopal, who filed the complaint on Mr Kumar’s behalf.
The police has visited the site, Mr Kumar said. “We filed the case, because it is a serious issue. We can’t go ahead with any demolition unless the GHMC tells us why there was a delay. If it is a heritage site or has a court stay order on the same we would have to plan accordingly,” said ACP G. Chakravarthy.
The dilapidated building has a tree growing along its wall, weakening it. “We have spent about Rs 20,000 on maintenance of someone else’s house,” Mr Kumar told this newspaper. Zonal commissioner C.N. Raghu Prasad was unavailable for comment.
