Tellapur residents allege illegal groundwater extraction, seek CM intervention
HYDERABAD: Days after an illegal water tanker driver allegedly manhandled and threatened a security guard, more than 40 residential communities in Tellapur and Osman Nagar approached Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. They warned of a looming law-and-order and environmental disaster caused by unchecked groundwater extraction.
In a follow-up letter, the Tellapur Neighborhood Association (TeNA) accused local authorities of only symbolic enforcement. Illegal borewells resume operations within days of being sealed, often at the same locations.
Over the past three years, TeNA President Ramana Eshwaragari said, residents have filed repeated complaints about illegal water extraction along stretches such as Tellapur–Osman Nagar Road (Mayfair/Infinity Lane), Gopanpally–Osman Nagar Road, near Sankalp Villas, Tellapur, and RR7 Road near the Cyberabad Municipal Office.
Despite these complaints, “Revenue authorities carry out temporary seizures every year after complaints, but the same borewell points restart within days. This isn’t enforcement, it’s a charade,” the letter states.
Meanwhile, residents report that heavy water tankers operate day and night, damaging new roads, raising dust, and driving recklessly through narrow lanes. Last week, the situation turned violent. TeNA said a tanker driver and associates of a borewell operator manhandled and threatened a security guard for asking them to slow down. “Those who speak up face open intimidation. People feel unsafe in their neighborhoods,” the association wrote.
@revanth_anumula @CPCyberabad @cyberabadpolice @MC_Cyberabad @Collector_SRD For 3 years, TeNA has repeatedly complained about illegal groundwater extraction in Tellapur & Osman Nagar, yet the same borewells reopen within days after seizure. Residents now fear for their safety… pic.twitter.com/R4acEQb3If
— Tellapur Neighborhood Association – TeNA (@TellapurN) May 24, 2026
In addition to safety concerns, TeNA also warned of rapid groundwater depletion in the region. “If this illegal exploitation continues, future generations will face water scarcity and irreversible ecological damage,” the letter warns.
The association urged the Chief Minister to immediately stop illegal groundwater extraction, permanently seal and disconnect illegal borewell points, seize water tankers and heavy vehicles involved, initiate criminal proceedings against repeat offenders, ensure continuous monitoring, protect residents and volunteers reporting violations, and take urgent measures to preserve groundwater and public infrastructure.
Major residential enclaves affected include Aliens Space Station, Mayfair Villas, My Home Ankura, Rajapushpa’s Greendale, Sankalp Villas, Vajram Villas, BHEL Villas, and over 30 other complexes and villa projects representing thousands of families.
