HYDERABAD: A five-storey building in Siddiqnagar, Gachibowli, tilted unexpectedly on Tuesday night, forcing the GHMC to evacuate over 50 residents and demolish the structure on Wednesday.
The two-year-old building, housing 12 apartments rented for Rs 10,000 to Rs 13,000 per month, developed cracks. Preliminary investigations indicated that excavation work on an adjacent 200 sq. yd. plot caused the damage. The GHMC began demolition shortly after the evacuation, deploying a hydraulic crane and cordoning off two nearby lanes with heavy police and emergency personnel presence. Demolition was completed by 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
Officials from the Town Planning department suspect that digging on the adjacent plot, approximately 8–9 feet deep, destabilised the foundation of the affected building, which stood on a 50 sq. yd. plot. Locals reported that construction on the adjacent plot began two months ago.
“The plot owner, V. Laxman, had taken permission from the GHMC. However, we need to verify whether he constructed additional floors without authorisation. For a plot of this size (50 sq. yd.), only G+2 floors are typically permitted,” a GHMC official said.
Tenant injured while escaping the tilting building
Laxman stated that Sreenu, the builder working on the adjacent plot, had promised to compensate the tenants for their losses.
Following a complaint from the GHMC’s Serilingampally zone, Madhapur police registered a case against the contractor responsible for the excavation, identified as Sreenu. Charges include negligence endangering personal safety (Section 125) and mischief (Section 324).
Meanwhile, Sadiq ur Rahman, a tenant in his 20s, fell from the third floor while attempting to escape the tilting building. A native of Assam, Rahman sustained serious back injuries and a fractured leg and is undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital.
Witnesses described scenes of panic as residents fled the building. “At around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the building started shaking, and visible cracks appeared. By 8:30 p.m., police and other officials arrived,” said M. Srikant, whose family of eight spent the night outdoors.
Another tenant, Anjana Dasardar, said her children heard crackling sounds before the building began to shake. “The owner sent someone to inspect it, but shortly after, the structure started trembling,” she added.
A neighbor criticized the lack of oversight in the area, stating that local contractors frequently construct multi-storey buildings in narrow lanes without hiring qualified engineers or obtaining proper approvals. “Why aren’t authorities inspecting these constructions regularly?” he asked.