Authorities to blame for building Collapse: Lok Satta

The Lok Satta Party held the State Government and the Greater Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad squarely responsible for the collapse of a building under construction in Narayanaguda in Hyderabad.

The authorities had encouraged licentiousness in building construction by introducing a scheme to regularize unauthorized constructions for a hefty fee, said Lok Satta leaders V. Laxman Balaji, V. Vijayender Reddy, G. Rajareddy, N. Ravinder, Dr. Panduranga Rao and Dasari Ratnam.

The Lok Satta leaders, who conducted a random survey in one street in Barkatpura, noticed that seven of the eight buildings under construction were unauthorized. Taking the media round the area, the Lok Satta leaders pointed out that the Government viewed the schemes to regularize unauthorized buildings and layouts as a source of revenue. As a result, builders indulged in constructions throwing all norms to the winds since the Government would regularize them for a fee.

They recalled that the Lok Satta had consistently demanded that the concerned authorities punish officials and builders responsible for such constructions, instead of house-owners. They also pointed out that the Andhra Pradesh High Court had directed the State Government in 1997 not to regularize buildings constructed thereafter. Yet the Government continued to regularize unauthorized buildings since it was not willing to forgo revenue. They demanded that the GHMC demolish buildings,which posed a threat to occupants and punish officials and builders responsible for them.

The Lok Satta leaders conveyed their condolences to the families of those killed in the Narayanaguda building collapse.