HYDERABAD: Disclosing that 60% of the lakes and tanks in Hyderabad have already been encroached upon, Hyderabad Disaster Relief and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) Commissioner AV Ranganath on Monday said that it will establish exclusive police stations to effectively deal with illegal encroachments.
To start with, one HYDRAA police station (PS) will be established and at least two or three more will be established later, based on the workload.
Ranganath said that the agency will file criminal cases on anyone who has encroached upon full tank levels and buffer zones of water bodies, or parks or government lands, be it a local realtor or a well-connected political leader. He revealed that on average, HYDRAA is receiving 50 to 100 complaints a day from citizens.
For effective functioning, the HYDRAA PS will be headed by an ACP rank officer and will have inspectors and all required police staff. These PS will help the agency take swift and timely action against encroachments.
HYDRAA may be divided into 3 zones, with ample personnel
“HYDRAA would likely be divided into three zones. We will request the state government to sanction at least 3,500 personnel. HYDRAA will expand to 2500 sq km from 2,000 sq km. The state government has allocated `200 crore for HYDRAA in the Budget for its management,” Ranganath said.
“There are 185 lakes within GHMC limits and 400 lakes within ORR limits. Our main objective is to protect the water bodies from getting encroached and free them from the clutches of land sharks,” he said.
Ranganath said that nearly 60% of the lakes and tanks have been encroached as per a National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) survey. Of the remaining lakes, the extent of encroachment of some is around 80%,, he said. “We want to protect them at all cost; constructions in the FTL and buffer zones of these water bodies would be demolished. We won’t spare anyone; action would be taken against constructed buildings in the prohibited areas of the lakes in a phased manner. The agency is taking steps to ensure that there are no future encroachments in the city,” Ranganath said.
Regarding the demolition of illegal structures in Chandanagar, he said that GHMC gave permission for construction in FTL in May 2023. The Irrigation department filed a complaint against the permission given for building in the buffer zone. “The builder even obtained an Occupancy Certificate without the building being complete. Action will be taken against the officials who gave permission in gross violation of rules. HYDRAA will not spare these illegal encroachments. HYDRAA is already seeking cancellation of the building and layout permissions given in the FTL,” Ranganath said.
Phase-wise action plan
The agency chief said that in phase-I, HYDRAA will stop further encroachments from water bodies, government lands and parks. In phase-II, encroachments that have come up in FTL and buffer zones will be demolished and the next phase will see revival of the lakes by restoring and beautifying them through desilting.
Citing Mithila Colony and Nandagiri Hills as examples, he said that parks and nalas are being encroached in the city. “We will support the Colony Welfare Associations who come forward to protect the parks,” Ranganath said.
“If the encroachments of water bodies are not stopped, the future of Hyderabad will be under a cloud. The reduction in the areas of water bodies is alarming, it is crucial to act swiftly to prevent further degradation,” he said.
Stating that HYDRAA will work with all stakeholders for conservation of lakes, Ranganath said that if citizens notice unauthorised constructions in FTL or buffer zones, they can contact the agency.
As of now, the asset protection team is working in coordination with the town planning officials. So far the HYDRAA has begun working on 20 lakes. Similarly, the disaster management team is working in coordination with the traffic police. Next month, HYDRAA will organise a workshop on disaster management, Raganath said.
