Curation Team
HYDERABAD: A young boy’s earnest plea for a space to play cricket triggered one of the biggest crackdowns on land encroachment, leading to the demolition of illegal constructions and the reclamation of 39 acres of prime govt land in city’s Raidurg on Saturday.
The boy’s complaint — submitted to Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (Hydraa) — stated that an open plot in Raidurg, once used by local kids for playing cricket, was being fenced off and converted into a real estate venture. The letter also alleged that a nearby lake was being filled to build roads and develop housing plots.
Hydraa officials promptly launched a field inspection near the dargah area in Raidurg, in Shaikpet mandal, and uncovered large-scale illegal occupation in survey no. 5/2.
“The inspection has revealed that 39 acres of govt land had been illegally taken over. Signboards clearly identified the land as disputed, yet Narne Estates had set up their own signage with contact numbers, marketing plots for sale. They were building roads and selling land without any permissions. Even the lake was being filled in,” said Hydraa commissioner AV Ranganath.
Hydraa demolished the illegal structures, cleared the encroachments, and installed govt property markers. A police case was filed against Narne Estates for land grabbing, unauthorised development, and encroachment of water bodies.
In a parallel operation the same day, Hydraa teams cracked down on another massive encroachment in Hafeezpet, targeting 39.2 acres of prohibited govt land in survey No. 79 under Serilingampally municipality. More than half had already been developed with residential and commercial properties.
“Vasantha Homes, a construction company, manipulated survey records to create a fraudulent sub-survey number to mislead authorities and quietly developed 19 acres for housing. They converted the remaining land into office spaces and sheds, renting them out to private firms,” Ranganath said.
Crucially, this land was under litigation in the Supreme Court, which had issued a clear directive barring any development until a final judgment. “Despite the Supreme Court’s order that no construction should take place until a final decree is passed, the firm went ahead with illegal construction. During a recent hearing, the court expressed shock and questioned how such blatant violations were allowed without judicial clearance,” Ranganath added.
Hydraa has since demolished illegal boundary walls and internal structures and installed signage declaring the area govt property.
