State agrees to give HYDRAA statutory powers; Guv signs off on ordinance

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has been given legal sanctity and statutory powers by an ordinance issued by the State government, revising the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Act of 1955.

The Telangana Gazette published the ordinance on Saturday, issued by governor Jishnu Dev Varma on October 3. Titled the ‘Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024,’ the law seeks to confer authority upon the GHMC commissioner to engage specialised agencies, such as HYDRAA, to safeguard public assets, including parks, open spaces, roads, sewers and streets.

Explicit authority to enforce asset protection policies

The key amendment, Section 374-B, gives the Telangana government the ability to designate any individual, organisation or body to protect public property. This amendment gives HYDRAA the explicit authority to enforce asset protection policies in accordance with government recommendations and to take action against unauthorised encroachments on public property.

Initially, on July 19, the Congress government constituted HYDRAA under the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) department under Administration Order (GO) 99. Recovering unlawfully occupied public lands, safeguarding Hyderabad’s water resources and averting urban catastrophes inside the city’s Outer Ring Road (ORR) boundaries are among its main duties.

However, the agency ran into legal problems as some people and political parties contested its constitution in the High Court. The ordinance was passed when the Telangana government was actively trying to clear encroachments from the Musi riverbed, a move that was met with strong opposition from many sources.

More legislation on HYDRAA set for Assembly winter session

To resolve these issues and bolster HYDRAA’s authority, the State government moved quickly to issue this ordinance. In the coming Winter Session of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, a more extensive legislative framework for HYDRAA is anticipated to be introduced.

Providing more than one-third of the State’s GDP (gross state domestic product), Hyderabad continues to be an important economic centre. The city nevertheless draws a lot of investment even though it only makes up 0.58 per cent of the State’s total area, especially from Fortune 500 businesses in the biotech, pharmaceutical and IT industries. Supporting the city’s infrastructure and preserving its appeal as a top international business destination are the goals of the legislation.