Former senior municipal councillor Iqbal Sheikh has raised alarms over the alleged negligence during the demolition of a 30-year-old overhead water tank in Gomtipur. In a press release addressed to the municipal commissioner, Sheikh said that the contractor was risking lives and property by using cranes and steel ropes to raze the structure instead of manual scaffolding and RCC breakers. The site is adjacent to the Vir Abdul Hamid Apartments, housing nearly 1,700 residents, and a public garden. “Such reckless work poses a grave risk to lives and property,” the release stated. Sheikh has urged the AMC to implement standardized safety protocols and immediately inspect the ongoing work to prevent a potential disaster.Vanzar residents protest demolition driveResidents of Vanzar village on the city’s outskirts have approached the district collector and AMC commissioner protesting the “sudden demolition” of their homes. According to a press release issued by a social worker Rakesh Maheriya, eight houses were recently razed without prior written notice. The affected families, who have resided here for over 25 years, allege the administration failed to complete formal land allotment and boundary marking despite a 2004 government order. They have demanded an immediate halt to demolitions.
