Hyderabad: Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) on Friday began demolishing unauthorised commercial structures on a four-acre parcel of B-3 defence land in Sikh Village, following a legal battle that began in 1996.
The demolition began around 5:30 am, with locals initially resisting the action. There are around 120 old grant bungalows spread across 400 acres of defence land, but the board does not maintain an active record of every individual property,” said SCB CEO Arvind Dwivedi.
The property housed KJR Gardens and Viceroy Garden function halls, which were being used for commercial purposes despite the land being earmarked for residential use, according to SCB officials. Police were deployed at the site to prevent any law and order issues. “The board has been actively identifying locations where unauthorised activities are taking place on defence land. we are taking action as and when court orders are pronounced While some disputes are still pending in court.
“The board had approached the court in 1996 seeking demolition of the function hall and has pursued the case since then.
The court ruled in the board’s favour earlier this week, paving the way for the demolition,” said Ch Uma Shankar, Cantonment engineer.