‘Protected by HYDRAA’: Commissioner Ranganath asks officials to fence govt lands, parks retrieved from encroachers
The HYDRAA received as many as 78 complaints during the weekly Prajavani program
By Sistla Dakshina Murthy
HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath receiving complaints directly from the public, during the Prajavani programme at Buddha Bhavan
Hyderabad: HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath has asked officials to fence all government lands and parks retrieved from the encroachers. He also asked officials to put up sign boards declaring these properties as ‘Protected by HYDRAA’.
The HYDRAA received as many as 78 complaints during the weekly Prajavani program. Residents from the Outer Ring Road (ORR) limits met HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath to register their complaints, which mostly concerned the encroachment of roads, public areas, nalas, and water bodies.
In the presence of the complainants, the Commissioner received a PowerPoint presentation which included Google Maps. Ranganath assured the complainants that an investigation into their problems would be conducted shortly.
The Commissioner said that the relevant officials would be tasked with handling the complaints and would visit the impacted areas to carry out on-the-spot investigations in two weeks. To enable direct connection, the officials' contact information was given to the complainants.
Ranganath also directed the officers to obtain all relevant information from local authorities to ensure transparency while conducting investigations in front of the complainants.
He further said he would investigate any issues that weren't rectified within four weeks and file a case against encroachers following in-depth investigations. If unauthorized constructions are taking place after July 2024, immediate action should be taken against them, the Commissioner said.
After receiving concerns regarding the shrinking Full Tank Level (FTL) boundaries, Ranganath directed officials to verify the FTL limits by examining village maps using the Survey of India and NRSC satellite imagery. Priority should be given to lakes like Masab Lake (TurkaYamjal), Durgam Cheruvu, Mansoorabad Pedda Cheruvu, and Ameenpur Lake.
In Ilapur village of Ameenpur Mandal, Sangareddy district, 408 acres of illegal land purchases (survey numbers 119–220) were also brought to light by several complaints. Despite a stay order from the Telangana High Court, the complainants disclosed that 3,800 house plots had previously been registered under a gram panchayat layout.
Developers were allegedly still selling plots illegally, building more than 700 homes, and using government-provided roads, water, and electricity. Those who had previously bought plots asked HYDRAA to step in and halt further illegal activity. Another complaint focused on the two acres of land that were encroached upon in Abdullapurmet, Ranga Reddy district's Kuntloor (Pedda Cheruvu). The encroachers were reportedly attempting to regularise the land under GO 59, the complainant said.
KVR Rainbow Colony representatives complained that a 2,900 square-yard park in the first division of Nizampet Municipality had been encroached upon. The encroachers even obstructed them from installing exercise equipment in the park. They called on HYDRAA to intervene and remove the encroachments.
Members of the Vasavi Graduates Cooperative Housing Society also expressed disapproval of Mansoorabad Pedda Cheruvu's Full Tank Level (FTL) boundaries in Saroornagar Mandal, Rangareddy district. They claimed that construction on authorized plots inside the area was being hampered by the enlarged FTL limitations. After going through their complaint, Ranganath directed the officials concerned to look into the matter.
