Hyderabad: How land sharks had wiped out Jangamoni Kunta; HYDRAA reclaims land worth ₹700 Cr

Hyderabad: HYDRAA has reclaimed land worth Rs 700 crore at Kondapur.

HYDRAA launched a major crackdown on lake encroachments and targeted illegal occupation of Jangamoni Kunta.

Encroachers had nearly wiped out the waterbody by dumping soil and preparing the area for real estate sales.

Large-scale encroachment uncovered

An attempt was made to encroach upon cheruvu land, with nearly four acres of highly valuable property illegally occupied and prepared to be sold as residential plots, raising serious environmental and legal concerns.

Joint inspection after media reports

Following recent media reports on the disappearance of Jangamoni Kunta, HYDRAA conducted a joint inspection along with Revenue Department officials. The inspection confirmed extensive violations and unauthorized land conversion.

Action against encroachers

Revenue authorities have booked cases against the encroachers involved in filling the lake and altering its boundaries. Officials said further legal action would follow based on evidence gathered during the inspection.

Fencing to protect the lake

As part of immediate protective measures, HYDRAA has begun installing fencing around the lake to prevent further encroachments and to restore the waterbody.

Commitment to save urban lakes

HYDRAA officials reiterated their commitment to reviving and safeguarding urban lakes, stressing that strict enforcement will continue against those attempting to grab public water bodies.

HYDRAA moves to secure unrecorded lakes from encroachment

HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath said that the agency has intensified its focus on protecting lakes and kuntas that are missing from official revenue records and village maps but are clearly marked as water bodies in Survey of India maps.

Elaborating further, the Commissioner said several small lakes, typically spread across 4–5 acres, are being systematically filled with debris and illegally occupied, making them highly vulnerable to land grabbing.

"HYDRAA has identified over 300 such unrecorded kuntas and has begun fencing them to prevent further encroachments. The fencing of Jangam Kunta in the Gachibowli–Kondapur area on Tuesday marked the beginning of this targeted drive," Ranganath said.

He also announced that these water bodies will be notified in the public domain, with HYDRAA’s GIS team working closely with NRSC to map and document them using advanced geospatial data.