Demolition drive in Mahabubnagar: 75 houses razed at 3 am

Mahabubnagar Municipality officials, citing the structures as unauthorized, arrived with earthmovers around 3 a.m. and demolished them while residents were asleep. The area saw emotional scenes as women, men, and children frantically tried to salvage their belongings and cried inconsolably.

Mahabubnagar: Over 75 houses were demolished at Adarsh Nagar, Christianpally in the town in the early hours of Thursday, leaving the residents homeless.

Stating the structures were unauthorized, the Mahabubnagar Municipality officials arrived at the location along with earthmovers and demolished the structures at around 3 a.m. even as residents were sleeping in the houses.

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Emotional scenes were witnessed in the area as women, men and children were trying to gather their belongings from the houses and crying inconsolably. Heaps of debris and clothes and other materials were strewn all over the area.

Residents complained that the officials demolished their houses without serving any notices. They also claimed that in the past, the Congress government had issued pattas and now their houses were being demolished by the officials.

“We have been living here for many years. We are paying municipal tax and obtained power connections as well. Yet, the officials demolished my house,” Satyamma said in a video, which went viral on social media platforms.

“We condemn this highhandedness of the officials, who arrived at midnight and started demolishing our houses,” another resident said.

A few other residents argued that officials were specially targeting their houses and sparing those owned by political leaders and influential people.