HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Municipal Corporation resumed anti-encroachment drive in the city on Sunday after more than two months.

The drive came to a sudden halt on Aug 9 after the death of two persons in Hirabad area when they were buried under debris during demolition of an illegal structure.

Commissioner Dr Saeed Magnejo, Mayor Syed Tayyab Hussain, deputy commissioner and SSP, who were aided by 18 police mobiles, HMC staff and Rangers personnel, served notices on shopkeepers, warning them to remove unauthorised structures within 48 hours or face demolition.

No structure was demolished on the first day of the drive. Only a handful of pan and key makers’ cabins, some chairs and cots placed outside shops were confiscated by the HMC staff.

Deputy Commissioner Saleem Rajput said: “The 48-hr notice of warning is a legal requirement so that we don’t have to face litigation during or after the drive”.

He said: “The first day of the drive is devoted to educating shopkeepers to keep their mercantile within legally owned premises or face demolition. It has given a strong message to them that the administration means business.

“We will continue this exercise every week. Initially, we are identifying spaces where we can allow parking,” he said.

Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2017