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Slugfest over ongoing demolitions in Telangana
The demolition of alleged illegal constructions that came up on government lands and water bodies by the HYDRAA’s has sparked controversy as many have accused it of selective targeting
The demolition of alleged illegal constructions that came up on government lands and water bodies by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency’s (HYDRAA) has sparked controversy as the authorities have been accused of selective targeting, while sparing the rich and mighty.
For the last two days, the HYDRAA authorities have been on a demolition spree in residential localities falling under full tank level of Nallacheruvu in Kukatpally and Patelguda and Kistareddypet areas falling under the buffer zone of Ameenpur lake, according to officials familiar with the matter.
Videos of people, who were rendered homeless due to indiscriminate demolitions by HYDRAA, crying and criticising the state government went viral on social media. One of the residents at Kukatpally, whose house was demolished, argued why the HYDRAA authorities had spared the big people who constructed illegal bungalows at Durgam Cheruvu lake in Madhapur area by just issuing them notices.
“We have set up a small tea shop by taking a loan from the bank. This was also razed stating that it was on the FTL of Nallacheruvu,” a tea stall owner lamented.
HYDRAA commissioner AV Ranganath said: “The 17-hour-marathon exercise, which began on Sunday, continued till the early hours of Monday. We have taken the help of the revenue, irrigation and town planning department to raze illegal constructions in eight acres in these three areas.”
The constructions include temporary sheds where eateries and kitchens are being run, makeshift houses for workers, a tent house, individual houses, apartment complexes and a few villas.
On Monday, the Telangana high court issued interim directions to HYDRAA to stop demolitions around the Durgam Cheruvu lake, where high profile people, including chief minister A Revanth Reddy’s brother Tirupathi Reddy owns a bungalow.
The petitions were filed by residents of Amar Society, challenging the demolitions in the area. The high court asked the government to take into consideration the objections of the residents. The court also asked them to submit their objections before the HYDRAA authorities on October 4 and directed that the authorities issue a final notification within six weeks from October 4, after considering their objections.
HYDRAA to get more teeth
In spite of massive outrage over the demolition of houses and apartments in the name of illegal constructions on Full Tank Levels (FTL) and buffer zones of various water bodies in Hyderabad, the Revanth Reddy government has decided to go ahead with the exercise by giving more teeth to HYDRAA authorities.
On Friday, the Telangana cabinet decided to grant statutory powers to HYDRAA to clear encroachments besides undertaking disaster management operations across the Telangana Core Urban Region (TCUR).
“We shall soon issue an ordinance to formalise HYDRAA’s powers, which will be comparable to those of municipalities and revenue and irrigation departments,” state revenue and information minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
Once vested with legal authority, the HYDRAA will serve as the sole unified agency responsible for clearing encroachments and disaster management within the TCUR, an area encompassing the GHMC region, along with parts of Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri, and Sangareddy districts that fall within the Outer Ring Road.
The newly empowered HYDRAA will have the authority to address issues related to encroachments in buffer zones, full tank levels (FTLs) of lakes, tanks, and nalas. “The government will allot 150 officials, along with 946 outsourced employees, to the authority to ensure its smooth functioning,” Reddy said.
Revanth riding a tiger?
A senior Congress leader, who preferred anonymity, said while the objective of giving statutory powers to HYDRAA was a welcome step, it might turn out to be a politically disastrous move for the Revanth Reddy government.
“If the HYDRAA authorities continue with these demolitions, there will be no end. Because, there are thousands, not hundreds, of such constructions that have come up either on lake beds or their buffer zones. The authorities cannot go in for selective demolitions,” he said.
CPI national secretary K Narayana said Revanth Reddy might land in trouble, if he goes ahead with the demolition of alleged illegal buildings belonging to rich and mighty. “The chief minister is riding a tiger with regard to demolition of the illegal structures. He cannot continue with the demolitions for long nor can he stop doing it,” he warned.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) lawmaker from Kukatpally Madhavaram Krishna Rao, who strongly resisted the demolitions in his constituency on Sunday, said the government itself had given pattas (land titles) to the people in the FTL of Nallacheruvu lake. “So, the government has to give them compensation before demolishing their houses,” he demanded.
BRS spokesperson Putta Vishnuvardhan Reddy said HYDRAA should spare the constructions of the poor and helpless individuals. “Otherwise, the Congress government will face significant repercussions from the public,” he said.
Ironically, the demolition of these structures was taken up within days of Ranganath giving a clarification to the media that HYDRAA would not demolish permanent structures that had already come up in the FTL/buffer zone of lakes.
“The government will take a policy decision on removal of permanent encroachments, like the residential colonies that came up along the Musi river, long ago. But HYDRAA will ensure that all future/new encroachments should stop,” the HYDRAA commissioner said.
He referred to the example of demolition of villas and bungalows in the buffer zone of Sunnam Cheruvu lake at Madhapur and Mallampet Cheruvu of Dundigal which were being built without permission. He said structures that were demolished at Ameenpur are mainly compound walls, rooms and sheds that were built on encroached lake area.
