Tension in Hyderabad during GHMC anti-encroachment drive

Tension erupted across Hyderabad as GHMC carried out an anti-encroachment drive, demolishing roadside shops in several areas. Shopkeepers and AIMIM leaders protested the action, alleging loss of livelihood, forcing officials to retreat in some locations.

Hyderabad: Tension broke out in different areas of the city on Saturday during the anti-encroachment drive undertaken by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.

In the Old City, GHMC teams bulldozed several roadside shops in Mahabub Chowk, Rikabgunj, Puranapul, Afzalgunj, Madina Building and Aramgarh, triggering protests from shopkeepers. Local leaders of the AIMIM party, following the demolitions, led a protest at Mahabub Chowk.

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AIMIM party MLC Mirza Rahmath Baig, who arrived at the Chowk tower, said the traders had been conducting business at the spot for close to 80 years and that, without providing any alternative, the GHMC demolished their shops, robbing them of their livelihood. The MLC forced the GHMC officials to retreat from the place.

At Madina Building and Rikabgunj, AIMIM Charminar MLA Mir Zulfeqar Ali visited the spot and held discussions with the GHMC teams. He later visited the Afzalgunj bus stops, where shops located abutting the Musi river were razed by the GHMC.

In Secunderabad, tension prevailed at Monda Market when GHMC officials tried to demolish the shops. Local shopkeepers squatted on the road, raising slogans against the police and the GHMC, and argued with the officials, terming the act as inhumane. They forced the authorities to leave the place and staged a demonstration.