Anti-encroachment drive triggers tension in Hakeempet

Tension prevailed in Hakeempet near IAS Colony under the Golconda Zone on Thursday, after Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials of the town planning executed an anti-encroachment drive to clear temporary shelters obstructing a stormwater drain.

GHMC officials demolished the shelters amid police deployment, leading to a heated argument with



residents who said they had lived in the area around 50 years.

A resident, Jeetu Rathod, alleged that officials had deployed police and earthmovers and demolished the shelters without prior notice. He said the residents, many of whom were daily-wage workers, had stayed there for several years and questioned where they would go after their shelters were suddenly demolished.