HYDRAA Reclaims 7-Acres from Land Sharks in Bandlaguda

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA) said it has taken back nearly seven acres of government land worth more than Rs 400 million from encroachers in Bandlaguda’s Lalithabagh area.

The action was carried out on Friday in the presence of revenue officials and under tight police security. HYDRAA officials removed sheet iron barricades and fenced off the area. Notice boards were placed declaring that the land was government property and under HYDRAA protection.

The property came under Survey No. 28, under which 9.11 acres were recorded as government land. About two acres of this had previously been encroached upon and houses appeared. HYDRAA said in a statement that it did not disturb these homes and focused on the security of the remaining seven acres.

According to Survey of India maps, there was once a lake in the area, but invaders had filled it with soil and erased all traces. In addition to the lake, a drainage line was also blocked, HYDRAA said.

Despite multiple cases filed by revenue officials at Bhavaninagar police station and clear court orders stating that the land belongs to the government, the squatters did not vacate the area. HYDRAA said the court imposed a fine of Rs 1 billion for wasting judicial time, but the encroachers tried to divide the land into plots and sell it.

Local residents and representatives of Kumhariwadi Peace Welfare Association thanked HYDRAA for acting quickly after receiving the complaints. They said the rapes created tension in a sensitive and densely populated area.