Hyderabad: HYDRAA frees 5 acres of land in Kondapur; govt to build college, school

Hyderabad: Telangana government has decided to set up a junior college and school on five acres of land cleared of encroachments in Kondapur’s prime Raja Rajeswari Nagar layout.

HYDRAA's swift action has drawn appreciation from local residents, who hailed the move as a long-awaited solution to a decades-old issue.

Senior officials from the School Education Department, along with Cyberabad Municipal Commissioner G Srijana and HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath, conducted a field inspection of the reclaimed site on Sunday.

Officials confirmed that a top-class government educational institution will soon come up on the high-value land recovered from alleged encroachers.

Encroachments cleared, public use prioritized

The reclaimed land falls under Survey Nos. 78 to 93 in Kondapur village, Serilingampally mandal of Rangareddy district. Originally developed in 1993 as Raja Rajeswari Nagar layout with 2,059 plots, the layout earmarked:

5 acres for a Government Junior College

Nearly 1 acre for a school

Over 1 acre for parks

2,181 square yards for a community hall

Over the years, these public-use lands were allegedly encroached upon. Following complaints from the colony welfare association, HYDRAA removed the encroachments as per the approved layout and fenced the land to prevent further illegal occupation.

Residents from the surrounding areas gathered during the inspection and expressed gratitude to the authorities for protecting land meant for public amenities.

Park to be developed on reclaimed land

In addition to the educational institutions, nearly one-and-a-half acres of land recovered from encroachers will be developed into a public park, as requested by colony residents.

The Cyberabad Municipal Commissioner assured locals that the park development works would be taken up shortly.

Officials stated that all lands reclaimed by HYDRAA are being gradually put to public use after completing due legal procedures.

Legal Clearances to Precede Utilisation

The HYDRAA Commissioner clarified that in cases where court matters are pending, legal steps are being initiated to secure clearances before the land is formally handed over for public utilisation. On the directions of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and the State government, departments to which the lands are allocated are actively pursuing the necessary court permissions.

Public participation strengthens legal fight

"An important aspect of the drive has been the active involvement of local residents in legal battles against alleged land grabbers. Hundreds of colony residents and welfare associations are getting impleaded alongside HYDRAA in various court cases to safeguard parks, open spaces, roads, lakes, and government lands," Ranganath said.

He also described the public activism as a major morale boost, stating that community participation is playing a crucial role in protecting valuable public assets.

1,350 acres reclaimed

So far, HYDRAA has reclaimed approximately 1,350 acres of government, lake, park, and open space lands, valued at over ₹70,000 crore. He reiterated that all such reclaimed lands will be restored for their intended public purposes in a phased and legally compliant manner.

Residents of Raja Rajeswari Nagar termed the development a “historic correction,” thanking the State government for ensuring that long-lost public lands are finally being returned to community use.