HYDERABAD: On a day the world was talking about protecting nature, HYDRAA completed fencing nearly 200 acres of government land in Puppalaguda, Gandipet mandal, securing a landscape of granite formations believed to be around 2.5 billion years old.
The exercise was not merely about protecting government land valued at nearly Rs 30,000 crore. It also safeguarded one of Hyderabad’s most significant geological landscapes, which environmentalists have fought for decades to preserve.
For the Society to Save Rocks, the development marked a major milestone. The organisation has long campaigned to protect Hyderabad’s ancient rock formations, arguing that rapid urbanisation has steadily erased many of the city’s natural landmarks.
The battle for protection reached the courts in 2019, when the high court directed the Municipal and Revenue departments to safeguard both the government land and the rock formations. However, delays in demarcation and fencing left the area vulnerable to encroachments.
The issue resurfaced during HYDRAA’s Prajavani programme, prompting Commissioner A V Ranganath to inspect the site and order verification of land records. Joint inspections by HYDRAA, Revenue and Municipal officials subsequently confirmed the land as government property, following which fencing was taken up.
Revenue records show the area originally measured 293.05 acres, of which 263.05 acres had been allotted to HMDA. After accounting for private land claims and allocations to temples and a dargah, HYDRAA secured the remaining 200 acres.
The site lies beside Bhagirathamma Cheruvu, which is also being restored. Environmentalists believe the combination of the ancient rockscape and rejuvenated lake could eventually emerge as a major eco-tourism destination.