A ‘kaman’ or an arch is the easiest landmark in any area one can use to reach a location, and such structures are found everywhere across the city.
However, most of them, especially those belonging to religious structures on roads, are unauthorised and have come up right under the nose of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) over the years. Tuesday’s tragedy at Vasanth Nagar in Kukatpally, where an arch collapse killed three workers and injured four others is no exception.
The GHMC officials said that the under-construction arch, which came crashing down during the mason work, was also unauthorised as the builder did not take permission for it. “Another arch which was built earlier had permission, but not the one that fell,” said an official, declining to be identified.
Across the city, one can find several arches, especially religious ones, bang on the main road and admittedly sans any permission. “An arch can be built on a road if the traffic police issues a ‘No Objection Certificate’. But usually, we do not allow people to construct them, and most of the existing ones have been built illegally,” he explained.
Srinivas Rao, Additional Chief City Planner, GHMC, said that usually builders include construction of arches in the building plan itself. “So when the project is approved, so is the arch along with it. However, some builders do not take permission,” he said.
Licence to be cancelled
With regard to the Kukatpally incident, Mr. Rao said the municipal corporation will cancel the builder’s and the structural engineer’s licence holding them responsible for the arch collapse at the Meadows Land gated community at Vasanth Nagar. While a case has been registered against the builders and the contractor, Subhash, no one has been arrested so far, said KPHB police station inspector Ch. Kushalkar.
