HYDRAA reclaims Rs 6000 Cr of prohibited land illegally possessed by TDP MLA Vasantha Krishna Prasad, Narne estate

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has reclaimed 59 acres of land worth Rs 6,000 crore located behind the Novotel Hotel and 39 acres abutting to JRC convention.

The 20 acres behind the Novotel hotel were illegally occupied for over 20 years by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) two-time MLA from Mylavaram, Vasanth Krishna Prasad, while the 39 acres abutting to JRC convention was under the illegal hold of Narne Estate in Jubilee Hills.

Speaking to NewsMeter, HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath said, “Normally these people do what they do, they tend to have politicians locally be their business partners. Naturally, when these politicians are involved, they get immunity. This land located behind Novotel Hotel falls under Survey no 79 and is prohibited government land.”

"Importantly, this site is in Sy no 79 and is in the prohibited category. CS14 case is pending in the courts. All the Sheds/ Offices/ structures demolished are unauthorised. That is there are no building permissions to the structures. When the land is under litigation in the court, almost 20 acres have been sold out after construction. Now the remaining 20 acres is also being sold out on the pretext of ULC etc, " Ranganath said.

The HYDRAA Commissioner further said that for years, with the help of the local support, Vasantha Krishna Prasad and his local partners managed it internally. “They would manage the local MRO and government officials. Almost 16–17 acres have been encroached on for 20 years. HYDRAA has reclaimed 20 acres behind Novotel hotel, Cyberabad.

Another is 39 acres abutting the JRC convention. Though the land is under dispute and the case is being heard in the high court. The builders of the Narne estate put up a board, mentioning it being for sale. When I dialed the number, the sales person of Narne Estate asked me if I was interested in buying the plot,” he said.

The Commissioner further added," Narne Estate started selling properties to middle-class customers by carrying out plots. “The lid blew off after a young boy from Langar Houz wrote to me that he would not long play cricket and when I visited, the place was cordoned off. We have to reclaim government land from big fishes before it is illegally sold to the common man, and they suffer,” Ranganath said.

The HYDRAA Commissioner confirmed that the land belongs to the state government and is currently under legal dispute. Acting on the boy's notice, HYDRAA assessed the location and began demolition immediately after confirming attempts to sell and develop the property.

"Despite the ongoing legal proceedings, Narne Estates was quietly parceling off the land that was on the prohibitory list," Ranganath claimed. Any development or sale during ongoing legal proceedings is unacceptable. Each acre is worth Rs 100 crore (minimum),” Ranganath said, and added that there were obvious efforts to demarcate plots and build structures, necessitating immediate action.