Express News Service By

HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) continued their demolition drive on the second day on Wednesday against unauthorised under construction buildings located in Ayyappa Society of Gurukul Trust Lands at Khanamet near Hitech City amidst protest from the local residents.

The GHMC identified 26 under-construction buildings as unauthorised structures and majority of them have been razed to the ground by five special teams, GHMC commissioner Somesh Kumar told Express.

On Wednesday morning, the special teams with a large posse of policemen reached the spot and started demolishing the illegal constructions. As many as three Hitachi, 10 compressors and four JCB, 120 labourers and over 120 policemen were engaged for the purpose.

Initially 21 buildings were identified and another five were identified on Wednesday. All of them were being demolished. ‘’The demolition drive will continue till all the ongoing constructions are demolished,’’ the commissioner said.

Local residents, owners and political leaders including few TDP MLAs gathered at the site and raised slogans against the state government.

‘’While the construction was going on for the last two years, the Town Planning wing of the GHMC who came to the site several times did not raise any objection. If they have objected initially, we would have not proceeded with further construction,’’ angry residents said.

The commissioner said that the corporation has formed three teams to check illegal constructions. The team will identify and record if any new construction is being taken up on a day- to-day basis. A survey is being taken up to identify violations and deviations of the existing buildings. If any deviations were found, notices would be slapped and necessary action would be initiated against the violators, he said.