GHMC demolition drive: MP Malla Reddy's school spared by authorities?

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on Thursday continued its demolition drive and removed as many as 194 illegal structures in the city.

The Times of India reported:

According to the GHMC, in the last four days, 646 unauthorised and dilapidated buildings were demolished by the civic body across the city with major demolitions taken up in the west zone which comprises the IT corridor...GHMC commissioner Janardhan Reddy discussed issues arising out of the ongoing clearance drive along 390 km of major nalas and about 1,000 km of minor nalas.

Meanwhile, reports suggested that Malkajgiri MP Malla Reddy, who owns various educational institutes in the state, also illegally began construction on the buffer zone of Fox Sagar lake but authorities who had gone to raze the building returned without doing so.

The MP had recently defected from the TDP to the TRS.

Speaking to the Deccan Chronicle, the MP said, "The vacant structure is located a kilometre from Fox Sagar. It is not constructed on the buffer zone of the lake. There are several apartments around it too. If my building is on the buffer zone, the rest should be identified and demolished too. My structure falls in a different survey number, not in the lake area. I had planned to start a school, but there was pending works such as electricity and water connections. There is no nala channel around the building too, I have given my building documents for verification. I go by the Chief Minister’s orders. The officers can go ahead with demolition if they find faults with the building.”

However, the DC report goes on to add:

The MP, however, let slip that the building had been constructed without GHMC’s permission. “The documents have been submitted for regularisation under the building penalisation scheme as no permission was sought,” he said.

This follows the instructions of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, after heavy rains left various parts of the city inundated.

The chief minister said that the government would go ahead with the drive and interference of any minister, lawmaker or any other politician would not be tolerated.

If the poor had encroached 'nalas' and built houses, they will be provided houses under double bed-room house scheme of the government, he said.

4th day & the demolition drive continues unabated despite some resistance & political posturing. More than 400 obstructive structures razed pic.twitter.com/p5Tu811p21

— KTR (@KTRTRS) September 29, 2016