Hundreds of old buildings are in dilapidated condition in the municipal corporations and municipalities of Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Khammam districts.
The owners of these buildings are neither repairing the old structures nor demolishing them. Consequently, they are posing a threat to the people living in these buildings or the traders who are conducting doing business in them.
Following the collapse of the City Light Hotel, the state government instructed all the municipal corporations and municipalities in the state to conduct a survey and take steps either to repair or demolish the dangerous structures.
In Vijayawada city, the corporation officials conducted a survey and identified 250 buildings in a dilapidated condition and on the verge of collapse. VMC city planner S Chakrapani told Express: ‘‘We will serve notices to the owners of these buildings asking them to take up repairs on a war-footing within seven days; otherwise, the VMC will demolish these structures.
He said the VMC engineers had conducted a study on the stability of the constrictions and submitted a report on the condition of the buildings.‘’ The VMC will also give 24-hour eviction notices to the inmates of some dangerous buildings that may collapse at any time’’, the city planner said and added that these buildings were being used either for residential or commercial purposes.
It may be worth mentioning here that the 100-year-old Ram Gopal choultry in Vijaywada crumbled due to rain recently. Luckily, there were no casualties reported on the occasion, except some minor injuries to a rickshaw-puller. Guntur city is no exception to the danger posed by old and dilapidated buildings.
The officials of the Guntur Municipal Corporation have estimated that 100 such old buildings are fit for demolition. Otherwise, they are bound to collapse any time. The municipal market, located near the GMC office in the heart of the city, is one such structure. Additional commissioner of GMC P Srinivasulu said that the civic body would serve notices to the owners of all the dangerous buildings, some of which had been built more than 70 years ago. In Prakasam, the Ongole Municipal Corporation recently started a survey of old and dilapidated buildings and will soon serve notices to the owners. OMC commissioner Ch Vijayalakshmi said the town planning department would soon initiate action against hazardous buildings. She said the civic staff had noticed the old buildings in Kotavari Street, Gandhi Road and other areas.
In Khammam district, the municipal officials began a survey in Khammam, Kothagudem, Bhadrachalam, Palvoncha and noticed scores of hazardous buildings that were fit to be razed to the ground. Municipal commissioner of Khammam B Srinivas has directed the officials to complete the survey work as early as possible and serve notices to the building owners. He told Express that in Khammam City alone there were 250 old buildings which were in a very dangerous condition.