HYDRAA hostel inspections to begin January 1 after three-month safety deadline
Hyderabad: HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath gave hostel operators three months to shift from unsafe buildings and announced that HYDRAA hostel inspections would begin from January 1.
Ranganath warned that authorities would act against hostels operating from dangerous structures. He asked operators to use structurally sound buildings that had all necessary permissions.
Hostels currently functioning from unsafe buildings had to move to safer premises within the three-month period, he said. The Commissioner advised operators to make alternative arrangements as early as possible rather than wait until the deadline.
He said HYDRAA would begin inspections from January 1 and remove buildings found to be at risk of collapse. HYDRAA intensified its focus on hostel safety following recent fatal building collapses.
A building under construction recently collapsed at Anjaiah Nagar in Gachibowli, killing two people. Buildings located nearby were also damaged in that incident. Ranganath also referred to a hostel building collapse in the national capital on September 6. Seven people died and several others suffered injuries in that incident.
Against this backdrop, HYDRAA convened a meeting on Wednesday with hostel operators and owners who had rented their buildings for hostel use. The meeting took place at the HYDRAA office. Ranganath issued several safety directions to participants.
He said authorities had to give high priority to people staying in Hyderabad hostels while pursuing education, jobs and employment opportunities. Hostels should not compromise on fire safety, emergency exits or structural stability, he said.
Ranganath said the State government’s objective was to prevent accidents rather than act only after a disaster occurred.
HYDRAA hostel inspections to involve three corporations
Ranganath said HYDRAA would coordinate with three municipal corporations to inspect hostels operating from unauthorised buildings. The agencies would conduct inspections and initiate further action based on the violations detected, he said.
The Commissioner warned operators against compromising residents’ safety merely to charge lower hostel fees. He said hostel operators should provide proper accommodation and complete safety to residents. Financial considerations should not take priority over safety, he added.
Ranganath asked operators to consider the precautions they would take if their own children were staying in such hostels. Before selecting a building, operators should examine whether occupants could evacuate easily during a fire.
They should also verify the building’s structural strength and ensure that adequate parking facilities were available. Ranganath warned about extremely dense multi-storey construction on small plots.
He said seven-storey buildings constructed on plots measuring just 50 square yards would have to be regarded as “suicide bombers” because of the risks involved. Such structures could also endanger neighbouring buildings, he said.
Ranganath cited HYDRAA’s action following the building collapse at Anjaiah Nagar in Gachibowli. He said authorities had demolished six similarly dangerous structures located beside the collapsed building.
The Commissioner also recalled an incident in nearby Siddiq Nagar, where a building tilted to one side in 2024. HYDRAA had inspected some hostels across Hyderabad and found that many had violated prescribed norms, he said.
The findings reinforced the need for stricter monitoring of structural and fire-safety conditions in hostel buildings.
HYDRAA hostel inspections focus on fire safety
HYDRAA Additional Director Varla Papaiah explained the causes behind fire accidents in buildings during the meeting. He also detailed the rules that hostel operators needed to follow to prevent such incidents.
Papaiah explained the dangers associated with unauthorised structures and buildings that had exceeded their safe lifespan. Officials showed videos related to such risks and advised hostel operators about necessary safety precautions.
Ranganath maintained that there would be no compromise on the safety of hostel residents. The three-month window was intended to allow operators in dangerous buildings to identify safer alternatives before enforcement began.
From January 1, HYDRAA hostel inspections would focus on compliance, structural safety and risks posed by potentially unstable buildings, he said.