Hyderabad: The Musi Riverfront Development Corporation has decided to identify the unauthorised constructions which have mushroomed on the banks of the Musi and demolish them.
An MRDC official said that the corporation would verify satellite images along with pictures captured by drone cameras to identify the illegal structures.
The data will be handed over to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to demolish the structures in co-ordination with the revenue department.
According to a survey conducted by the revenue officials in 2016, 8,529 unauthorised structures were identified, spread over eight mandals on the banks of the Musi.
The Hyderabad district collectorate officials as part of the Musi Riverfront Development and Beautification Project constituted nine teams to check the enumeration of properties erected on the banks of the Musi.
After verifying the land records, the authorities even demolished six encroachments in Charminar mandal.
Sources said that the demolition drive was halted immediately due to political pressures.
Revenue officials continued the exercise and noted 667 encroachments in Asifnagar mandal, 989 in Amberpet mandal, 4,225 in Bahadurpura mandal, 73 in Charminar mandal, 517 in Golconda mandal, 499 Himayatnagar mandal, 650 in Nampally and 903 in Saidabad mandal.
A senior MRDC official said the revenue officials had identified 3,529 residential, 1,946 commercial properties, 228 religious structures constructed without authorisation on government land.
He said that on private lands, 3005 residential structure, 418 commercial structures and 27 religious structures had come up illegally.
The official said the revenue department has been fighting 20 court cases regarding illegal occupation of government lands.
“Out of about 10,000 encroachments, about 8,000 cannot be removed easily. The remaining can be demolished in a day. They will be either removed or demolished as part of the Musi beautification process,” he told this newspaper.
