HYDERABAD: Hundreds of residents of MS Maqta and BS Maqta staged a protest on Hyderabad’s Necklace Road on Friday against alleged demolition notices linked to the Musi River development project, while the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) assured them that no action would be taken against houses belonging to the poor.
The protest, which began after Friday prayers, saw residents block traffic and raise slogans demanding the withdrawal of the notices. Protesters said they feared losing their homes and alleged that HYDRAA had served notices claiming their houses were illegal structures or encroachments within the Musi River limits. Stating that many families had lived in the localities for decades, they urged the government to halt the proposed demolitions.
Amid the protest, HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath visited the localities, situated along the banks of Hussainsagar opposite Raj Bhavan, to clarify that neither the state government nor HYDRAA intended to demolish houses belonging to poor families. He said rumours that houses within the Full Tank Level (FTL) limits of Hussainsagar would be demolished were false and warned of strict legal action against those spreading misinformation and instigating protests.
Ranganath urged residents not to believe “vested interests” and encroachers allegedly circulating false claims for personal gain.
He reiterated that houses existing before the formation of HYDRAA would not be disturbed, citing the restoration of Bathukamma Kunta in Amberpet, where existing houses within the FTL were retained, and the Pedda Cheruvu project in Ramanthapur, where families living in temporary huts were recommended 2BHK houses as part of rehabilitation.