Second high‑rise razed in Anjaiah Nagar as collapse risk looms

HYDRAA demolished a second unauthorised seven‑storeyed building at Anjaiah Nagar, Gachibowli, late Sunday night. Officials said the structure was severely damaged and posed a collapse risk after another illegal building had earlier fallen on it.

Hyderabad: The DRF teams of Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) on Sunday night demolished another seven-storeyed building at Anjaiah Nagar in Gachibowli, taking the total number of high-rise structures demolished in the area to two.

HYDRAA used the ‘Bahubali’, a high-reach hydraulic machine, to demolish the high-rise structure in an effort to avoid damage to adjacent structures. The heavy-duty, advanced machinery, popularly nicknamed the ‘Bahubali machine’, was used several times during the demolition of high-rise structures.

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CMC and HYDRAA officials, during an inspection at Anjaiah Nagar in Gachibowli, found another seven-storeyed building severely damaged after an illegal seven-storeyed building collapsed on it and said it was at risk of collapse. 

The CMC officials confirmed that the newly demolished building was constructed without any approvals and warned that it also posed a serious collapse risk, and HYDRAA accordingly took action on Sunday, according to a press release.

HYDRAA carried out the operation in a way that prevented the building from falling onto neighbouring properties. As there was barely any gap between the surrounding structures, the demolition was done with extreme caution. Police also made security arrangements to keep the public away from the site, it said.

As Sunday’s demolition carried some risk, residents of Sterling White Field Apartment, neighbouring Jayadarshini Residency, were evacuated as a precaution. With several unauthorised seven-storey buildings constructed in cramped 50-square-yard plots, lined up like stacks of cards, the area was described as increasingly hazardous. 

In response, HYDRAA and CMC launched a joint operation, under which one such building was demolished on Sunday, according to a press release.