Articles by Rachel Dammala

Technology

SCB Issues Last Warning to Encroachers

Hyderabad: The Secunderabad Cantonment Board on Thursday issued final public notices ordering residents and commercial establishments to remove encroachments on government land within seven days, warning that demolition will begin under the Cantonments Act, 2006, if the deadline is ignored. The notices apply to roads, footpaths, drains, parks, and other public spaces across all eight wards. Officials told Deccan Chronicle that the action follows a spike in complaints related to blocked stormwater drains, narrowed internal roads, and unsafe extensions constructed over service lines. The Board called the notice the “last warning,” clarifying that no further notice will precede demolition drives. More than 1,000 PPE eviction notices and encroachments across nearly 400 colonies remain unresolved, with almost 90 per cent involving park areas, corridors or open spaces. Inspection records list sites including stretches along the Patny, Picket and Hasmathpet nalas, where the original width of about 30 feet has reportedly shrunk to as little as five feet. The designated park space behind Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) had also been taken over by food courts and other commercial outlets. Officials additionally identified unauthorised occupation on Defence and Cantonment land during mapping for elevated corridors, though specific plots were not named. A senior official said earlier enforcement was slowed due to pending court cases. “Many encroachers prolonged the process through litigation, but the scale of obstruction now leaves little room for delay. Demolition costs will be recovered from violators,” the official said. HYDRAA earlier intervened at Patny nala following resident complaints, prompting a wider inspection of the connected nala network. Officials said the present notice offers one final opportunity for voluntary removal. “If structures are not cleared within seven days, we will conduct a special drive,” a senior Board engineer said.