HYDERABAD: While the demolition of the Deccan Sports Knitwear building which began on January 26 was completed on Sunday, no one has showed up to claim ownership of the fire-ravaged six-storey illegal building, even though the civic authorities posted a notice on the structure.
Officials in accordance with the GHMC Act posted a notice mandating that building owners establish their claims to ownership within 24 hours and provide consent for the demolition of the unauthorised structure. No one has showed up to stake ownership as of yet.
An official told Deccan Chronicle that the GHMC would identify the building's owners from the property tax records. A notification to the building owner will be issued to recover the costs involved in the demolition. Further, the officials stated that the property owner can reapply for building permissions afresh.
Officials claimed that a powerful politician had bought the unauthorised building from the previous owner and had not bothered to change the ownership to his name.
Three workers are suspected to have died in the massive fire that broke out in the building on January 19 in the overcrowded Ramgopalpet area. The edifice was destroyed by the fire, which broke out in the building's cellar and quickly spread to the upper floors.
Police said they had collected body samples of the victims after fire had been doused. and sent them to the forensic department for identification. Upon receiving a report, the workers will be declared dead. Until then a missing case has been registered. Without confirming their identity, their families would not be able to avail ex gratia from the government
In the building, 1,000 tonnes of combustible material, tonnes of cloth, flex rolls, and chemicals were stored in the cellar. To put out the fire, some 22 fire fighters and several fire personnel were dispatched to the spot. Technical glitches and the pockets of fire that were still blazing temporarily halted the demolition activity.
