Hyderabad, Jan 22 (IANS): The demolition of unauthorised structures in the Kharitabad area in Hyderabad triggered strong protest from two MLAs belonging to Congress and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).
Khairatabad MLA and former minister Danam Nagender expressed his ire over the municipal officials for demolishing unauthorised structures in Chintal Basti near Shadan College.
The MLA, who had switched loyalties to the ruling Congress party from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) last year, Nagender rushed to the area on receipt of information about the demolition of structures on footpaths and tried to stop the demolition.
He spoke to municipal officials over the phone and pulled up them for carrying out demolitions in his constituency without informing him. He also asked the officials to wait until Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy returns from abroad.
The MLA also threatened to stage a sit-in in front of a bulldozer if the officials continued demolition. He warned that this may lead to law and order problems.
Nagender also told officials that such action was bringing a bad name to the Congress government. He said the action by officials would snatch the livelihood of many poor.
AIMIM MLA Majid Hussain along with his supporters also reached the area and staged a protest. They squatted on the road, demanding officials to stop demolition.
Officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad traffic police pulled down roadside structures obstructing the free flow of traffic on Chintal Basti Road which connects Khairatabad with Banjara Hills Road No 2.
This is not the first time that Nagender has intervened to stop the demolition. In September last year, he lodged a strong protest against demolitions by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA).
Nagender found fault with the way the poor and middle-class people were subjected to inconvenience and being pushed into misery.
He also said the poor living in ‘basthis’ should be spared. The MLA and two others were booked by police for provoking locals to remove the fencing of an open land belonging to the government.