Hyderabad: SIET Maruthi Hills Colony residents send SOS to CM Revanth; accuse HYDRAA of high-handedness

Hyderabad: Residents of SIET Maruthi Hills Colony in Guttala Begumpet have appealed to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to intervene and halt what they describe as illegal and high-handed actions by the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA).

The residents have appealed to the Chief Minister to immediately halt HYDRAA’s ongoing works and ensure strict enforcement of the High Court’s status quo orders.

Residents seek CM’s intervention

They have also sought an independent, scientific survey to determine the accurate FTL boundaries, protection for more than 200 families and senior citizens living in the colony, and action against officials who they allege are misleading the government with incorrect reports.

The residents emphasised that while they fully support lake conservation, all lake-related initiatives must be carried out transparently and in accordance with scientific and legal norms.

The residents allege that HYDRAA continues to carry out excavation and fencing work on their private land despite clear High Court orders to maintain the status quo.

Colony developed by a government-affiliated institution

The SIET layout, located in Survey Nos. 12 and 13 of Guttala Begumpet, was developed in the early 1990s by the Small Industry Extension Training Institute (SIET), now known as ni-msme under the Union Ministry of MSME.

The land was legally purchased by SIET from private patta owners between 1990 and 1992, and the layout received approval from HUDA in 1992. A later HUDA notification was cancelled in 1998, reaffirming that the land remained private patta land under SIET’s ownership.

Residents say they hold valid government approvals

Residents state that their plots carry all required statutory approvals, including ULC clearance, LRS approval, GHMC building permissions, electricity connections and property tax assessments.

Many plot owners who bought land after 2010 did so only after banks sanctioned home loans based on these government-issued approvals. Residents stress that they are “law-abiding citizens, not encroachers,” and that all purchases were made through transparent and legal documentation.

Faulty FTL mapping triggered the dispute

According to residents, the conflict began in 2016 when the Irrigation Department wrongly marked the SIET layout as part of the Full Tank Level (FTL) of Sunnam Cheruvu.

They note that Sunnam Cheruvu is actually located in Survey No. 30 of Allapur village in Kukatpally mandal, Medchal–Malkajgiri district, far from the SIET colony, which lies in a different village, mandal and district.

The residents add that a 2022 affidavit filed by the Telangana Government before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) confirms the lake’s extent as 15 acres 25 guntas, which does not include SIET land.

High Court ordered status quo after demolition

Tensions escalated in September 2024 when HYDRAA demolished an approved building in the colony. Following this, residents approached the Telangana High Court. On August 12 and 20, 2025, the High Court directed HYDRAA to maintain the status quo and to refrain from altering the land, except for limited cleaning activities.

Residents accuse HYDRAA of violating court orders

Despite the High Court’s directions, residents allege that HYDRAA and its contractors have repeatedly violated the orders:

November 12: Attempted to erect fencing on private plots; stopped only after residents showed the court order.

November 16: Entered the colony at night, intimidated residents and allegedly damaged a resident’s phone.

November 17: Arrived with machinery and police support and carried out deep excavation across patta land.

Residents say these actions amount to contempt of court, misuse of machinery, and harassment of middle-class families and senior citizens.

Residents say SIET is on high Terrain, not lakebed

The colony members assert that their plots lie on naturally elevated terrain where rainwater has never accumulated. They allege that HYDRAA is now digging deep trenches to artificially show the area as waterlogged. Meanwhile, they claim that the actual low-lying FTL zone in Survey No. 30 is occupied by private developments such as Preston IVY Villas.

Earlier political statements support residents’ claim

Residents cite earlier statements by political leaders, including Chief Minister Revanth Reddy in 2018 and Serilingampally MLA Arekapudi Gandhi in 2025, both of whom said the actual FTL lies in the Preston IVY area, not in SIET Society. They also maintained that they support lake conservation but seek protection for their legally purchased private patta lands.

Protest erupts over attempt to remove Hanuman temple

Tension prevailed in Madapur on Thursday after HYDRAA officials reportedly attempted to remove a Hanuman temple located in Sunnam Cheruvu. Local residents, along with Bajrang Dal members, strongly resisted the move, staging a large-scale protest that forced officials to withdraw.

Leaders and activists from various political parties later reached the spot, declaring that they would not remain silent if authorities tried to demolish the decades-old Hanuman temple. They warned that any attempt to remove the shrine would be met with firm public opposition.

Speaking to NewsMeter, HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath said that they will be holding a meeting with the residents of Sunnam Cheruvu and temple representatives on Saturday to discuss the future of action.