Hyderabad residents seek lake development at HYDRAA phone-in
HYDERABAD: Residents from several parts of the city urged authorities to stop sewage from entering lakes and to take up their development, citing severe public health concerns. Calling into the HYDRAA phone-in programme on Saturday, citizens said foul smells, unchecked water hyacinth growth and mosquito breeding had made daily life difficult.
“Day and night, we are forced to keep doors and windows shut. Mosquitoes have made sleep impossible,” callers said, urging officials to prevent sewage mixing with lake water and to restore the water bodies.
They also welcomed the decision to hold the phone-in programme every Saturday, in addition to the weekly HYDRAA Prajavani on Mondays, saying it allowed those unable to visit the office to report grievances directly.
The phone-in programme was held between 12 noon and 1 pm, during which AV Ranganath, Commissioner of HYDRAA, spoke directly to complainants. He heard their grievances, shared details of the officials handling each issue and asked callers to contact him again if problems remained unresolved after a week.
Residents were advised to call 040-29565750 or 040-29565759 every Saturday, except on holidays, to register complaints.
Lake works planned in phases, says commissioner
Some calls were received from districts outside the city, with residents seeking protection of lakes from encroachments. The commissioner clarified that HYDRAA’s jurisdiction extends only up to the Outer Ring Road.
He said development work on six lakes had been taken up in the first phase and plans were in place to restore 14 more lakes soon. “Lake development is being taken up in phases,” he said.
Encroachments on public land draw multiple complaints
A large number of callers complained that lakes had lost their natural features due to encroachments and sought their restoration. Complaints also flagged illegal occupation of parks, roads, government land, public utility spaces and footpaths, affecting pedestrian movement across the city.
Specific complaints included alleged road encroachments and illegal plotting in Gagillapur of Dundigal municipality, attempts to construct a temple inside a park near Pragathi Nagar, and stalled works on a diversion canal meant to prevent sewage from entering Nagireddy Kunta.
In Madhapur, callers said tanker movement had made the 100-foot road near Sunnam Cheruvu difficult for commuters. Other complaints alleged that large construction firms were diverting stormwater channels and encroaching on public land.
In Attapur, residents alleged encroachment of 33 guntas of government land along with a 900-square-yard park site and urged authorities to stop construction before it progressed further.
During the programme, the commissioner interacted with 36 callers and assured action, stating that encroachments would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
