HYDERABAD: Less than a month after a seven-storey building collapsed in Gachibowli, leading to two deaths, another four-storey residential building developed a sudden visible tilt in NTR Nagar, Gopanpally, on Friday. No injuries were reported, while all eight occupants of the building were evacuated and nearby houses were cleared as a precaution.According to K Saidulu, station house officer, Gachibowli, the G+4 structure, built on a 50-square-yard plot in Serilingampally zone, developed cracks due to adjacent construction and began leaning dangerously to one side. “We rescued eight people and cordoned off the area to ensure public safety,” said Saidulu.The incident has once again raised concerns over unsafe, high-density construction on small plots in rapidly developing areas of western Hyderabad, where several structures are being erected on tiny plots measuring only 50 to 60 square yards. On Aug 22, a seven-storey under-construction building collapsed in Anjaiah Nagar, Gachibowli, about 10 km from Gopanpally, killing two people. A builder was arrested, and a town-planning official of CMC was suspended following the incident. Officials found that the incident occurred due to structural overload, severe regulatory violations, and poor construction quality on a tiny plot.In Nov 2024, a five-storey residential building in Siddiq Nagar, near Gachibowli, suddenly tilted, prompting a large-scale evacuation and swift demolition by civic agencies. Again, the sudden tilt was caused by unauthorised and unscientific cellar excavation on an adjacent plot. It severely undermined the foundation of the existing building, which was already structurally vulnerable due to being built on a tiny 50-to-70-square-yard plot.Meanwhile, on Friday, after receiving information, which occurred around 1 pm, officials from Cyberabad Municipal Corporation (CMC), along with engineering and town-planning teams, rushed to the site. “Engineering teams are inspecting the foundation and structural integrity, and the building is likely to be demolished once the surrounding area is fully secured,” a senior town-planning CMC official said.
