Hyderabad: Nearly 20 feet of the front portion of the Sangam Complex at RTC crossroads was demolished by officials from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Hyderabad Metro Rail and the Land Acquisition department.

Businessmen from of the three demolished shops were extremely upset. Mohammed Ali Zakir, who runs an opticals business, said: “I begged them to not demolish my establishment, as that would damage all my stock. The authorities gave me a day’s time.”

Six different owners have now claimed stake in the building and they have not arrived at a consensus, despite several meetings with land acquisition officers and the police. The owners were called for a final meeting on January 27 this year but negotiations failed.

And with pressure mounting on Hyderabad Metro Rail to give clearance to Larsen and Toubro, it was decided that compensation money will be deposited with the city civil court. The compensation amount of Rs 54 lakh was deposited in the court on February 21.

“They have deposited the total sum in the court and have given all of us letters explaining what our share is. But it is important that they give us at least a day’s notice so that we can remove our goods from the shop,” added Mr Zakir.