Properties Worth Rs 50,000 Cr Protected: HYDRAA

Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) Commissioner A V Ranganath today claimed that large-scale encroachments on canals and ponds had been cleared by the organisation to protect public property.

Addressing the media, the Commissioner said that since its formation on July 19, 2024, HYDRAA had reclaimed 923.14 acres of public property valued between Rs 45,000 crore and Rs 50,000 crore, and about 581 encroachments had been removed.

He also said that cases had been booked against 12 prominent builders, and that HYDRAA had not compromised even where influential players such as Vertex and Vasavi Builders were involved.

Many tanks had been encroached upon for 50-60 years, and HYDRAA had been working for the past 14 months to remove such illegal constructions, Ranganath said.

He asserted that the work would continue, and that no illegal structure obstructing canals or ponds would be spared, as such water bodies were community assets.

"It is our responsibility to protect them. We have changed the contours of Bathukamma Kunta. In Gajularamaram, land grabbers had illegally occupied over 300 acres, constructing more than 900 houses. Yesterday, 260 of these houses were demolished. Some poor families had unknowingly purchased houses built on government land," he said.

"There are 150 monsoon emergency teams in the city. We are identifying and clearing encroachments on drains and intensifying silt removal. Currently, rainwater flows directly into ponds without being stored. Due to urban concreting, water is not seeping into the ground. Since the future belongs to the youth, they must think about protecting parks and ponds," Ranganath added.