Home | Hyderabad | Hydras Demolition Map Has Baffling Blank Spaces HYDRA’s demolition map has baffling blank spaces Was the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) selective while recently demolishing allegedly illegal structures in the buffer zone of Osman Sagar? By Telangana Today Published Date - 23 August 2024, 10:21 PM The farmhouse of former Minister and Congress leader Patnam Mahender Reddy located near Himayat Sagar. Hyderabad: Was the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection (HYDRA) selective while recently demolishing allegedly illegal structures in the buffer zone of Osman Sagar? The fact that the agency’s bulldozers pulled down over 20 structures while leaving several others bang next to these has triggered doubts among both the general public and political parties as to why other structures constructed in the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) limit or buffer zone of the water body were being spared. Last Sunday, HYDRA officials had demolished over 20 under-construction structures, including Oro Sports Village, Palamuru Grill and others on Shankarpally road at Khanapur village after declaring them as constructed illegally in the buffer zone of Osman Sagar.
Interestingly, several other structures abutting the Osman Sagar or apparently in the buffer zone in the same village were not demolished. For instance, on the Shankarpally road, there is a commercial structure right next to Palamuru Grill. While the restaurant building was pulled down, the structure next to it was spared, raising doubts.
Likewise, several swanky structures have come up in Gandipet of Moinabad mandal. Some of these are said to be owned by either relatives of prominent Congress leaders , or Ministers themselves, including a relative of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy , Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, former Minister Patnam Mahender Reddy, Legislative Council chairman Gutha Sukender Reddy, Congress MLA G Vivek, senior Congress leaders KVP Ramachandra Rao and Pallam Raju. Interestingly, HYDRA officials demolished three structures in West Side Farms but swanky buildings opposite to these structures were not touched.
These buildings are just a stone’s throw away from the lake and one of them reportedly belongs to a relative of Rangareddy ZP chairperson Teegala Anitha Reddy. On the other hand, HYDRA’s demolition of structures in the lake has brought under the radar a number of allegedly unauthorized structures around the Himayat Sagar. Palatial buildings of noted businessmen, political leaders, film actors and others have come up in the lake area and its surroundings.
Since the last few days, photographs and videos of these buildings are hot topics for discussion on social media and elsewhere. One of the structures, which is abutting the lake and constructed on the hillocks at Kothwalguda, is reportedly owned by Patnam Mahender Reddy. There is also a luxurious farmhouse, reportedly owned by Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy in Himayat Sagar village.
There are more such structures, including a few at Vatinagulapally, in different areas that have come up quite close to the lake, but have mysteriously escaped the bulldozers of HYDRA. These include one reportedly owned by Ravikanth Reddy, a close relative of Revanth Reddy, which has allegedly come up in violation of GO 111 norms. Meanwhile, there is confusion over the FRL of Osman Sagar as well.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB)’s website says the reservoir’s FRL is 1790 metres. However, local residents say the same Board had earlier earmarked the FRL as 1792 metres. It is after the FRL mark that a radius of 30 metres is earmarked as the buffer zone and construction of any structures is not permitted in the buffer zone as well.
In this context, the difference of two metres will automatically extend the buffer zone, they point out, adding that it was not known whether the demolitions were taken up considering an FRL of 1790 m or 1792 m. While welcoming HYDRA’s demolitions in Osman Sagar, sharing images and videos of the palatial buildings and farmhouses around Himayat Sagar on social media platforms, netizens are questioning officials whether all the illegal buildings would be treated in the same way. Some have also asked the HMWSSB and HYDRA to disclose the parameters adopted in identifying buildings as unauthorized.
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