HYDRAA: Six officials booked for permitting illegal lake constructions
Hyderabad: Six senior officials from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) have been booked for allegedly permitting illegal constructions within protected zones around Erra Kunta Lake in Chandanagar and Pragathinagar.
The Hyderabad Disaster Management and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) has filed a formal complaint with Cyberabad Police Commissioner Avinash Mohanty, leading to the registration of criminal cases against the accused officials.
The officials facing charges include HMDA City Planner Raj Kumar, Nizampet Municipal Commissioner Rama Krishna Rao, Chandanagar Municipal Deputy Commissioner Sudanshu, HMDA Assistant Planning Officer Sudhir Kumar, Bachupally Mandal Revenue Officer Pul Singh, and Medchal-Malkajgiri Land Record Assistant Director Srinivasulu. They are accused of allowing the illegal construction of buildings within the lake’s buffer zone, violating environmental regulations.
HYDRAA’s investigations found that officials may have allowed unauthorised construction on 0.29 acres of encroached land, putting the lake’s ecological balance at risk. Earlier this month, HYDRAA dismantled three illegal buildings, each with ground-plus-five floors, situated within the buffer zone of Erra Kunta Lake, which the Nizampet Municipal Corporation oversees.
The Cyberabad police have pledged to take stringent action against the six officials responsible for issuing these permits.
In another incident, on Saturday, August 31, 2024, HYDRAA conducted a demolition drive at Appacheruvu and Mamidi Cheruvu in Gaganpahad, targeting industrial sheds and constructions encroaching on the Full Tank Level (FTL) of the lake. Among the demolished structures was one owned by Mailardevapally BJP Corporator Thokala Srinivas Reddy.
#Hyderabad– Six government officials booked for allowing unauthorised construction.
Based on a complaint, a criminal case has been booked against 6 officials—
1. Nizampet Municipal Commissioner Ramakrishna
2. Chandanagar GHMC Deputy Commissioner Subash
3. Bachupalli MRO Pul… pic.twitter.com/pnqh4JlqKb— @Coreena Enet Suares (@CoreenaSuares2) August 31, 2024
It was earlier reported that on August 30, 2024, HYDRAA carried out a major demolition operation in Manemma Basti, Ramnagar, responding to complaints from local residents. This drive focused on removing illegal structures built on a water channel and a public road, resulting in the demolition of a toddy compound and several shops.
